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'No' to motorways-only proposal for 56-tonners
Page 20
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from our Parliamentary correspondent • Mr. Fred Mulley, the Minister of Transport, this week turned down a suggestion that 56-ton vehicles, if their use were allowed, should be restricted to motorways.
The idea had been put forward in the Commons by Sir Gerald Nabarro (Tory, South Worcestershire) who said these vehicles could not possibly be allowed to travel on A and B type roads.
The Minister told him it would be difficult to restrict these large vehicles to motorways because one of the points of road transport was that they could unload at a convenient point so far as the user was concerned, and "we do not want to have factories built alongside motorways". He would have full consultations with the many interests involved before authorizing any change in the regulations.
Accidents—'Alarming increase'
Mr. Peter Besse!! (Liberal, Bodmin) noted "an alarming increase" in the number of accidents involving heavy lorries and he urged the Minister to resist any proposals for an increase in tonnage or length.
Operational trials are being carried on at the moment by the Ministry of Transport, in conjunction with BRS Ltd.. into dozens of anti-jack-knifing devices, said Mr. Albert Murray the Parliamentary Secretary.
He said that in the first eight months of this year 211 people had been killed in road accidents involving articulated lorries but a comparison could not be made with 1968 because these statistics were not available. The Ministry were studying the figures to see whether further action was required to reduce these accidents.
0 licence costs
The costs arising from the administration of operators' licensing will come to £2.2m in the year ending March 31, said Mr. Murray. It was estimated that in the following 12 months this would rise to £2.4m.
Mr. Murray noted that carriers' licensing had been running at a loss for some years and the deficit during the current financial year was expected to reach £1.3m. although this loss had not been taken into account in setting the level of fees for operators' licensing.
Driving hours under review
Mr. Mulley is now considering "certain limited exemptions" to the proposed alterations in driving hours. He told Mr. Bruce Campbell (Tory, Oldham West) that he had received a number of representations from both sides of the industry about the effects of the proposed alterations.
Rural bus grants
It was right that the pattern of rural bus services should be considered together and not on the basis of whether any particular service was connected with a previous rail closure said Mr. Mulley when replying to a series of questions about subsidies for country bus services.
Tory transport spokesman, Mr, Michael Heseltine, pressed him to say when he would approve the withdrawal of subsidies from private and municipal operators. The Minister said he could not give an answer without notice.
Mr. Mulley noted that a number of discussions were going on with local authorities about rural bus grants but he could not predict how many would avail themselves of the possibility of further grants. Provision had been made for £95,000 in the current financial year and he hoped applications for grants would continue.