Government Road Policy Defended by Minister
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GOVERNMENT policy of giving priority to main cross-country roads is defended in a statement by the Minister of Transport, issued on Tuesday. He was replying to criticisms of the road programme contained in a report by the Select Committee on Estimates in the session 1958-59.
The committee recommended that higher priority should be given to urban road improvements. The Minister replies that the improvement, in the first place, of the main cross-country network used by long-distance industrial traffic will bring a quicker and greater economic return than to concentrate almost exclusively on the relief of urban traffic congestion.
He adds that by removing through traffic from built-up areas, relief from congestion in towns is being aided.
He recognizes the need for expediting the acquisition of land for roads.
In future, all trunk-road and motorway schemes costing more than £500,000 are to be the subject of consultation between the Ministry of Transport and the Road Research Laboratory.
FREE PUSH-CHAIRS AT SCUNTHORPE THE Lincolnshire Road Car Co., Ltd.,
is to provide push-chairs at no charge for the use of mothers with young children when they go shopping from Scunthorpe bus station. The company hopes that this will stop friction between bus conductors and mothers about the transport of folding prams and pushchairs
It is not intended to stop the carriage of folding push-chairs but the question of which is a push-chair and which is a folding pram, will be left for the conductor to decide.
NEW ALLOYS FOR ENGINES
TEST casting of high-silicon aluminium alloys is described in the 1959 annual report of the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association, published on Wednesday. These light alloys, with good wear resistance and low expansion properties, are being considered by the motor industry for cylinder blocks and similar cast components.
Other work carried out by the Association during 1959 included study of the fatigue properties of medium-strength light alloys. This research was intended to provide basic design information for the improved utilization of these alloys for road and rail transport applications.
NEW AIDS FOR SPRING USERS
A NEW service to industry was I-I NEW
yesterday at the opening of the annual conference at Llandudno of the Coil Spring Federation Research Organization. Delegates were introduced to Mr. Henry Snow, who has been appointed the Organization's first indus trial liaison officer. He will maintain contact with users of springs, as well as " selling " research to the spring-making industry itself.