More Area Schemes Coming Shortly
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MORE area schemes for road passenger transport were foreshadowed by Sir Cyril Hurcomh, chairman of the British 'I'ransport Commission, In a lecture given in London last week. After referring to the proposal for the north-east of England, he said, "We shall shortly give our attention to certain other areas,"
He also stated that the date of the appointed day under the Transport Act could be expected to be fixed early in the New Year.
Emphasizing the need for taking technical progress into account in determining the efficiency of various branches of transport, Sir Cyril declared that "in considering the relations of road and rail, we must remember that modern methods of road construction, improvements in the vehicles and their adaptability to the conditions of traffic, and the great improvement in the life of tyres, make it necessary to review, on much better data than are at. present available to us, the comparative costs of carrying goods or people by road and by rail under various conditions of traffic."
Traffic to be "Guided"
Sir Cyril again spoke of the assistance that a properly devised. scheme of charges could give towards guiding traffic into channels "which will yield the best results to the transport undertaking as a whole-, while leaving the trader or traveller freedom of choice, provided he pays the appropriate price for what he chooses."
Marked progress would shortly be made in the compilation of charges, said Sir Cyril, who added: "Our new scheme of charges will, I hope, be based upon a common and simplified classification of goods for rail, road and water; upon common conditions of carriage, and upon a common method of calculating distances. An interesting possibility would be to base distances on the 10kilom. squares of the national grid.
"How far equal rates can, or should, be charged for dfferent services is a much harder nut to crack. Obviously, if all rates were, without exception, to be based strictly and literally on cost, it would only be by coincidence that the rates for different forms of transport would be identical. But in this matter we Must be guided by practicability and approximations.
Graduated Charges
"Bearing that in mind, I hope that even after giving proper weight to considerations of cost, and greater weight than has hitherto been given to the loading characteristics of the traffic, we shall find scope for applying equal charges over medium distances; though for very short or for very long distances the charges scheme is likely to influence traffic to use the more suitable and economical method of transport."
Whilst emphasizing the necessity of a progressive railway system, he said that the Commission could not fall back upon a policy of restriction, wishing that the new forms of transport had never come into existence.