Sponsored Roads
Page 54
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IF popular tradition is to be believed, the Treasury regard the' disbursement of money much as most of us would:regard the extraction of a tooth ,without anxsthetic: Those people who are expert at reading the Government's horoscope have hinted that a little more money Would be made available for improving the roads, and in this spirit one must approve of the announcement by the Minister of Transport that payments_ from the Road Fund for this purpose will be increased by stages from £5m. to £14m. or 1l5m. a year.
When the efforts of years are at last reaping sorrie measure of reward, it would be a pity for the enthusiasts for mere and better roads to put forward a suggestion , which might appear to mean that nothing. extra need be spent by the authorities. The Minister's !statement may call for only modified rapture, but it is tactless at this stage to beguile him with alternatives: In particular, it is a mistake to propose a system.of turnpike roads.
Speakers in an earlier Parliamentary debate On,, roads were nearly all remarkably in agreement. One after another, they went out of th,eir way to blame practically every Government within living memory for the present sorry state of affairs. There were occasional hints of political differences, such as a remark by Mr. Ernest Davies that, if nothing were done to improve the roads, it might be necessary to restrict the C-licence holder, among other road users. In the context this was, one may say, no more than a friendly sally. On the whole, the debate marked another stage in the process of educating Parliament that the British Road Federation seem to have made their own province.
Perhaps, in view of what Mr. Davies said, the traders regard the provision of toll roads as a. means for safeguarding the freedom of the C-licence holder. Otherwise there is no merit in putting the idea forward at the present time. More tolerable is the proposal to finance the building of roads by means of a loan to be raised by the Government. One or two M.P.s spoke in favour of this, but Mr. Hugh Molson found it unacceptable. He would no doubt have been equally decided on the subject of toll roads.
Voice of Despair
Most road users, one would have thought, would be in agreement, but such bodies as the A.A., the R.A.C., and more recently the Federation of British Industries,. have come out in favour of toll roads. Theirs is the voice of despair. They see the need for new .roads becoming more serious each year, and they find the Treasury impervious to pleas for more money. The only way of reaching their objective seems to be to work their own passage.
Their suggestion is rather like the payment of Danegeld. It may merely encourage the Chancellor of the Exchequer to feel that the road transport industry is an even richer -source of plunder than he had imagined. To pay as you travel may appear on the surface to be an ingenious way out of the present jam, but there are to the financial burdens on an industry. Fuel tax Road Fund tax and purchase tax are familiar impositions, .and most 'goods vehicle operaWirs are now having to find their contributions towards B20 the transport levy. If road transport is to remain vigorous, these handicaps should be decreased rather than augmented. • The agitation for turnpike roads has no doubt been stimulated by their development in the U.S.A., where they are now being built or planned in well over one-third of the States. There are already nearly 2,000 miles of American toll road. The mileage is increasing rapidly, and so apparently is the financial return to the investors who have put • up the money. The users of the roads are not so happy. Although motorists in America are taxed less extravagantly than in this country, they are of the opinion that they pay • more than, enough, and they object to paying tolls.' •
It must be admitted that, in spite of their _objections, they go on paying. The greater distance's between towns in America may be the secret of the success of the turnpike roads in that country. The more frugal British road user might. get into the habit of finding 'alternative routes. which give him a little more trouble but save him thecost of the toll. The American example may have . had some influence on our Government's plan for sponsored television. In the same way, the F.B.I. and the other organizations may regard sponsored roads as a short cut to the solution of a problem that has baffled successive Governments.
Subsidy from Industry It is only fair to say that the F.B.I. does not suggest that toll roads should become the general rule. The 'recommendation is that, if the funth initially made :available are insufficient for the rapid expansion of the road system, industry would meet part of the cost by a " limited ".application of tolls, to special sections of new motorways, tunnels or bridges, "particularly where the use of these facilities Would substantially reduce the distance between :points and in consequence save time and money."
The possibility remains that turnpikes at strategic points would. often have the effect of persuading the road user to take the longer, more congested and more dangerous route. 'Nor is it likely that the principle of toll roads, once established, would be kept within whatever limits the F.B.I. . would prefer. Some Governments, even if not all, would find a considerable attraction in the idea that the use of any road should be regarded as a privilege for which payment should be made. The advantage of toll roads, says the F.B.I., "is that the cost would fall fairly and proportionately on the. actual user in return for the saving in mileage, time, vehicle wear and running costs." A Government of the future might . too easily forget the costs' that .already fall on the user.
Even now it would be rash to take for granted any profound change of heart in the. Treasury, but the GOvernment may at long last be ready to recognize expenditure on new roads as an investment which will bring increased revenue because it will mean more traffic, more vehicles, higher production and fver accidents. With the Government in this rare frame Of mind, it is a mistake for the people' who would benefit to hint that the new roads, or some of them, could be built without the Exchequer spending a single penny.