Contentious Views on Traffic
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ROME contentious views on traffic 1.-1 problems-were put forward by Prof. D. L. Munby, reader in the economics and organization of transport at Oxford University, speaking to the Institute of Transport at Leeds, on Tuesday.
He stated that the roads of this country might be regarded as becoming obsolete rather rapidly, and the question of providing new ones was involved and difficult.
When thinking of new roads, people did not take into consideration such things as the cost of lighting and many other services which were provided. Roads were an asset and people should expect to pay for the use of them.
The answers to several important questions were still unknown, he added. For example, how far were people discouraged from using the roads by the tax on fuel? Would a toll on roads make much difference in the use of them?
Quoting an Oxford economist, Prof. Munby stated that the tax on fuel prevented the optimum use of road haulage because the railways could reduce their charges to rock-bottom level and make no contribution to overheads. Comparing the capital cost of a road with that of electricity, Prof. Munby said that the cost of a power station was extracted from the consumer, who was encouraged to use electricity.
The system should be applied to the provision of a new road, he stated. Charges should vary according to the use made of the road. If there were little traffic on a road, vehicles ought to pay more for the use of it.
He suggested a means of reducing traffic flow to relieve congestion. A minimum speed should be set and a suitable toll introduced. The effect would be that there would only be enough vehicles on a road to maintain the set speed.
Dealing with congestion in cities, Prof. Munby proposed special licences for using vehicles in peak hours. Users would pay for this facility, and it would be an offence to drive through a city centre without such a licence.
He considered that a system of tolls would be the answer to the congestion problem, as it was in America and in the Mersey Tunnel.
Prof. Munby added that economists should not be taken too seriously.