BUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO ROAD COSTS.
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The Question as to Who Should Bear the Cost of Adapting the Roads to Stand Bus Traffic. Authorities in Disagreement.
LOCA_L authorities cannot agree as to road adaptation charges in respect of their motor . omnibus services. Efforts have been made to get a measure of agreement between the Association -of Municipal Corporations and the County Councils Association, but without result. The Association of Municipal Corporations put the following statement of its ease to the County Councils Association:—
It will be remembered that in the Session of 1920 two classes of clauses were inserted in Bills authorizing corporations to run omnibuses outside the limits of their respective boroughs, namely :— (1) A clause dealing wit Lithe payment of sums per car-mile run, as a contribution towards the cost of maintenance of the road.
(2) A clause dealing with the payment of a sum per mile :of road, as a contribution towards the cost of adaptation, alteration and reconstruction. In neither case was the obligation an absolute one, that is to say, it was left for the Minister of Transport to decide (failing agreement) whether any, and if so what, sum should be paid.
In view of the Roads Act; 1920„ it will no doubt be generally agreed that the obligation in respect of the first class of payments, namely, those towards the cost of maintenance, has now been abolished. The prevision in regard to read adaptation, however, remains, and. indeed was included in last year's Acts.
The view of the Association of Municipal Corporatione on. the subject is that, as the roads are highways open to all classes of traffic, and as no similar contribution is payable by other-heavy traffic, including omnibuses run by companies and private individuals, uals there is no justification for imposing this special charge upon local authorities running motor omnibuses. The Association recognizes thaa the County Councils Association may be reluctant to adopt the same view.
There are two classes of roads which may come
under the operation of the clause, namely. those which are classified (first or second-class roads), and to which, therefore, a contribution to-Wards the cost of maintenance is made out of the road fund, and unclassified roads. With regard to the classified roads, the A.M.C. truSt that the county councils will agree with them that no contribution should be expected from the local authorities running omnibuses.
With regard to the unclassified roads, in suitable cases the Ministry of Transport can contribute, and, indeed, has contributed, to the cost of reconstructing and adapting such roads for heavy motor traffic. -hi these cases the suggestion of the A.M.C. is that, where a corporation proposes to use such a road for omnibus traffic, its technical adviser should meet officers of the road authority and of the Ministry of Transport with the view to coming to an agreement, if possible, as to the work of reconstruction or adaptation necessary, and it should then be ascertained What assistance, if any, the Ministry are prepared "
to give, and it is hoped that, in most eases, the assistance thus given will render it unneeesary for the road authority to make any claim against the corporation proposing to run-omnibuses. The representatives of the two associations met at the.Ministry of Transport for the punmse of discussin:g -this matter. Brigadier-General Sir Henry May: bury, K.C.M.G.., C.B., Director-General of Roads, Ministry of Transport, was good enough to preside. No agreement was, however, arrived at. In reporting on the conference; the Law Committee of the Association of Municipal Corporations now states that in the circumstances it suggests that the Ministry of Transport should be asked to initiate legislation amending Section 10 of the Roads Act, 1920, so as to enable the Minister to suspend, modify, or determine not only the liability to pay sums by way of mileage charges or other annual payments in respect of the use of the road, but also payments in respect of the adaptation, reconstruction or improvement of roads or bridges.