Road Transport Activities IN PARLIAMENT
Page 61
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ril_ELL new Labour Government, in its search for schemes 1 to provide employment, has turned to the roads, and a five-years' programme of main' trunk roads, to cost 19,500,000, has been put forward. In addition, the Minister of Transport has sanctioned • another programme for the construction of new roads and for the widening of existing roads and bridges, to cost £28,000,000 over a period of six years.
Both schemes are .to be financed out of the Road Pond, and the raiding of the Fund for general-revenue purposes is not to be repeated. The possibility of hastening the reconstruction of Waterloo Bridge and proceeding with the Charing Cross scheme is being anxiouslyconsidered, but it is understood that the negotiations with the Southern Railway Co. will continue for some time longer. It is hoped, however, that work on Waterloo Bridge may soon be started. Sir Oswald Mosley, who is assisting Mr. J. H. Thomas in dealing with the problem of unemployment, mentioned that these schemes would involve the expenditure of 175,000,0004100,000,000 in purchases of material, but some doubt has been east upon the practicability of so huge an expenditure.
Mr. Lloyd George criticised the proposed expenditure on roads as being merely the multiplication of the surplus on the Road Fund by the number of years which it would take to spend it. Other critics suggested that the Labour Government was simply adopting schemes that had been proposed by the other parties, and that there was a considerable vagueness about them. Mr. Thomas was, however, promised the help Of the Opposition in carrying forward his plans for providing more work for the unemployed.
Forth Road Bridge Report. Forth Road Bridge Report.
THE report of the engineers who made the preliminarysurvey in connection with the proposed road bridge over the River Forth is now in the hands of the Minister of Transport, who will supply copies to the local authorities concerned for their observations.
It is believed in well-informed quarters that the Forth and Tay road bridges must he constructed at no distant date if the demands of road traffic in the East of Scotland are to be adequately met. •
The Government and London Traffic.
rnHE London Co-ordination of Passenger Traffic Bills,
which proposed to set up a common management and fund for the London County Council tramways and the undertakings of the . combine, are not to be supported by the ,1,,abour Government, which means that the opposition which: failed in the previous. Parliament will now be successful. The Minister of Transport has indicated that other methods of dealing with the more efficient regulation of LondOn traffic will be explored and, in. the House of Commons, he stated that the Government was fully alive to the importance .and urgency of the problem of London traffic, and was ready at once with the haterests concerned to consider it farther.
. . Buses Superseding. Trams. , ASEED to state the number and names of towns in which tramWayhad , been. Supeeseded 'raoterbuSes, the Minist6r of -Transport said that he was not in pessession of complete inforniatioh, but he believed that the tramway systems belonging to Heysham, Moreearabe, 'WOrceSter and Kilmarnock, and to the Kidderminater and Stourport, Liverpool 'Overhead, the PotterieS, and -Greenock mid 'Port Glasgow -Companies bad been replaced by ;buses, and that a SinrilAr Movement 'was ii firoceSs' of was 'proposed in
several:other Cases. • • In addition, some eight companies operating tramways obtained powers in their Acts of last session to change over to buses.
Road Accident Inquiries.
(AN the suggestion that legislation should be introduced kite give the Minister of Transport power to hold inquiries into street accidents in which motor coaches and buses were involved, similar to those held after railway accidents, Mr. Morrison said that this was a matter on which the Royal Commission on Transport had taken evidence, and he understood that it would be covered by the first report of the commission, which was to be presented very shortly.
Danger of Sparks from Steamers.
--1,./ER. HERBERT MORRISON, Minister of Transport, —Klin dealing with the danger to roadside property through the emission of sparks from passing steam wagons, states that the accidents caused by motor vehicles are not systematically reported to him, hut he is aware that sparks from road locomotives may, in some cases, constitute a danger. At present, he has not the power to require the fitting of spark-prevortinm devices to all classes of steam vehicle, but the point will be borne in mind in connection with any legislation that may be introduced dealing with the general regulation and control of road vehicles.
Thames Toll Bridges,
'THE Minister of Transport states that his department _I_ has encouraged the county councils concerned to 'proceed with negotiations with a .view to purchasing and freeing the Cookham toll bridge and other toll bridges on the Thames. If satisfactory terms can , be agreed Upon be will be prepared to give favourable consideration to an application from a county council regarding the expenditure involved, but cannot at present commit himself to any specific percentage.
Road-construction Programmes. •
ACIRCULAR is being issued to the larger highway authorities inviting them to submit programmes of works on Class 1 and. 2 ,roads, including the construction of new roads, by-passes, etc., which they would be prepared to put in hand at an early date and to carry out during the next five years, 'with the assistance of grants from the Road Fund.
With regard to the new programme for the reconstruction of about 50 miles of main trunk roads, at a cost of £9,500,000, with the assistance of special grants from the Road Fund, instructions have been given to the divisional road engineers of the .Ministry of Transport to enter into negotiations at once with the local authorities in whose areas. these works are to be effected.
The Horse-drawn Traffic ProbIena.
MHE suggestion that horse-drawn traffic should be prohibited from using certain thoroughfares at busy times of the day, owing to the hindering effect, has again been made.
Mr, .Morrison points out that, outside London, he has no power in the matter and legislation would be required. The question with 'regard to London has been considered on more than one occasion by the London Traffic Advisory Committee, but in view of existing requirements of trade and the conditions under which certain forms of traffic are Operated' such a proposal is not regarded at the present time, as -practicable.