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R.I.A. Chairman Talks About Roads and the Future

15th June 1945, Page 22
15th June 1945
Page 22
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Page 22, 15th June 1945 — R.I.A. Chairman Talks About Roads and the Future
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

IN the course of his speech at the annual general meeting of the Roads Improvement Association, Lieut.-Col. .Mervyn O'Gorman, C.13., M.Inst.C.E., chairman, said that to rehabilitate ourserves now that the war in Europe was over and to recover our various losses it is essential that we set out to produce 50 per cent, more, export 50 per cent. more, and import 50 per cent, more than in 1938. This will need at least 50 per cent, more inland transport and the bulk of that increase must go by road.

In one way and another, he said, the advocacy of adequate roads has had immense publicity, but, he emphasized, the time is now past for further talk, commissions, inquiries and procrastinations. Housing plans need many new roads to give workersiquick access

to their jobs. Agriculture will not retain the necessary workers if traffic be always congested and they are isolated from the. urban contacts they rightly desire, Col, O'Gorman stressed the point that to-day the road problem is really a financial one. The need for road betterment is unquestioned. There are adequate data available to define what ls needed and ample creative and executive ability to carry out all desirable works.

Our demancts, he said, are very modest—a 10-year programme at a cost of £20,000,000 a year over the prewar scale. The State and local authorities spend a total of £56,000,000 a year. We ask, he went on, for an additional £20,000,000 from the State to permit the expenditure of £76,000,000 annually. Not a great deal, he thought, when it is realized that the Chancellor will collect £100,000,000 annually from the users of motor vehicles.

The R.L.A. intends to make roads a prominent question during the forthcoming General Election, and when the new Parliament is elected it proposes to re-create its All Parties Highways Development Committee of the House of Commons to carry on the good work. HEADWAY OF INSTITUTE OF TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION

SINCE the formation of the North Staffs Centre of the Institute of Traffic Administration in December, 1944, interest has been progressively maintained and membership has shown a steady increase. Much of the success achieved is due to the chairman of the Centre, Mr. E. P. Puttick, of the Michelin Tyre Co., Ltd. In fitting recognition of his efforts he has been elected vice-chairman of the National Council.

At a recent meeting of the Centre, T. Williams, F,R.S.S., A.M.Inst.T„ spoke on the' subject of " An Outline of Statistical Method."

WIDE VISION BACKS RUSSIA'S TRANSPORT PLANS

RT_TSSIA'S all-round development of transport facilities was stressed by Mr. Robert Barr, of Barr and Wallace Arnold Trust, Ltd., chairman of the Yorkshire Area of the Passenger Vehicle Operators' Association, in an address on " Russian Transport ' to Halifax Rotary Club.

Since the 1914-18 war, said Mr. Barr, the navigable river miles of Russia had been doubled to a total of 63,000, and some 93,000 miles of railways had been increased to 517,000 miles by the end of Russia's second five-year plan. Then again, the Russians were planning to make 62,000 miles of motor roads, including 12,500 miles of wide arterial roads..

Russia had the trained engineering personnel _for transport purposes, and gave every encouragement to students. He thought that this country might well take a leaf out of Russia's book in the matter of transport development. There was room here for balanced co-ordination between road and rail.

ROAD ACCIDENTS DURING THE WAR IN EUROPE

nuRING the war in Europe, there /Li were, on an average, over 20 deaths a day in Great Britain as the result of road accidents. The total -number of road deaths during the war period to the end of April of this year (including the 'first two days cif September, 1939) waS 42,556; of this total, 7,148 were

children. •

In contrast with the first monthof the war, when road deaths were more than double the average number. casualties in April, 1945, were the lowest recorded in this month for many years. Deaths numbered 390; in , addition, 8,874 persons were in

jured. Compared with April, 1944, these figures show a reduction of 177 arid 1,056 respectively.

The following table is an analysis of the number of deaths in April, according to the types of vehicle primarily involved:— Ty,pe of Vehicle. Deathi. S9T v:ce (Br: tish, Do:nation and

Allied of khe three Services) ... so

Public service and hackney ... 69 Private ears 33

Motorcyclee 14

Pedal cycles 64 Others 13

THE 1945 GUY VIXEN SPECIFICATION

WE have been asked to call attention to an error in the printed specification of the 1945 Guy Vixen: a .description of which appeared in our issue dated June 1._ The error is concerned with the overall chassis-width dimension, which shOuld be 6 ft. 8 ins., and not 6 ft. 10 ins, as printed.

Anyone in possession of a Gay _specification leaflet covering . this model should carefully note this correction.

TAXICABS MAY BE CHEAPER THE comparatively high cost of -a new taxicab is due to its nonstandard construction to meet conditions as laid down by the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis. • In a written reply to Sir W. Wakefield,

who raised the question in the House of Commons, with a view to easing the position, Sir D. Somervell said that certain modificatiOns ie the special construction requirements of such vehicles was under consideration by the Commissioner.

It was, however, impossible to say, at present, whether these would have an effect on the cost, but the point would be borne in mind.

TRIBUTE TO " NORTHERN GENERAL" DRIVERS

SAFE-DRIVING awards have been made by the Royal Society for the PreVention of Accidents to drivers employed by the Northern General Transport Co. Ltd and associated

concerns. Gold medals for 10 years' safe driving have been awarded to 63 drivers, bars to silver medals to 150 drivers, silver medals to 23 drivers, and diplomas to 241 drivers.

TRAFFIC Al—IINISTRATORS TO MEET IN LEICESTER AN open meeting of the Institute of Traffic Administration will be held on June 27 at 7 p.m at the Royal Hotel, Leicester, when the subject of " Receipt and Despatch of Merchandise " will be dealt with by Mr. R. P. Bowyer, who is an Area Road Haulage Officer in the Leicester area under the M.O.W.T. scheme.

BIG FINES ON DRIVERS FOR FUEL OFFENCES

FINES totalling £190 were imposed in a York prosecution last week, in which the accused were three motor drivers charged with stealing petrol, and two farmers charged with receiving. For the prosecution, it was stated that the drivers were engaged in carrying men to a prisoner-of-war camp in the East Riding of Yorkshire. They drew petrol from their employer for that purpose, but instead of so using it they had siphoned it from the tanks of the vehicles, placed it in drums, and delivered it at a farm at Wheldrake:

One of the drivers was fined 245, another 235, and the third £10. The two farmers were each-fined £50.

SYNTHETIC TYRES TAKE

SECOND PLACE . "-THERE is no doubt that, based cav I present knowledge, the natural rubber tyre is superior to the synthetic tyre," Sir George Beharrell, chairman of the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd , told shareholders at the company's annual general meeting last week.

Rubber, both natural and synthetic, he added, was the subject of an international study group, on which he was one of Britain's representatives, and, in spite of criticism, he was convinced that some form of international arrangement would be called for to avoid chaos in this industry.


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