Disinterring the Jack Report Proposals?
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THE Government hopes to be able to make concessions "at some later date " for rural transport as a whole, said Lord Lindgren, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, when he opposed a suggestion last week that local authorities should be allowed to meet the cost of granting travel concessions on commercial bus services. He pointed out that the Government was now looking at the Jack Report on rural transport in conjunction with the survey of transport generally.
Lord Lindgren promised to look at an amendment to the Travel Concessions Bill which would enable local authorities to make outside payments, but warned: "I do not see a great deal of hope of implementing it." The promise satisfied Lord Inglewood, who had put forward the amendment in the Upper House, and he withdrew his suggestion, Earlier, Lord Inglewood had said that his amendment had the support of the Association of Municipal -Corporations, and if added to the Bill would substantially improve it.
The amendment said that any local authority might pay an operator of a p.s.v. undertaking the whole or part of the cost incurred in granting concessions to qualified persons specified by the authority, but Lord Inglewood said he was not committed to any particular form of words.
The Government had every sympathy with those local authorities that desired to see travel concessions given to deserving classes of their citizens, but who did not operate their own transport, replied Lord Lindgren. Less than a quarter of the buses in the country were run by municipal authorities, whilst only about one local authority in 17 had its own transport system, and it was partly in
the size of the problem that the difficulty lay.
To do what was asked in the amendment would alter the whole character of the Bill, he said. and the Government did not think it should be inflated beyond its avowed purpose.
BUS ANNUAL "THIS is the time of year for annuals -, 1 and a publication designed for teenagers and young Men interested in road passenger transport is the Buses Annual, 1965 ", published by Ian Allan Ltd., Terminal House, Shepperton. Middlesex, price 12s. 6d. It is a very well produced and profusely illustrated book, and should provide hours of educaticinal reading.
Articles include "The Daimler Story ". written by Alan Townsin, an undoubted expert on the subject of British passenger chassis, and a bonus for tram enthusiasts, in the form of a detailed story of Leeds
trams and tramways. F.K.M.
Crawley Motorway
PRELIMINARY surveys for the pro' posed London-Crawley motorway (M23) have been completed and the Minister of Transport has opened discussions about fixing the route.
Broadly, this is expected to start at A214 at Tooting Bee Common and follow approximately the direction of the Victoria-Sutton-Dorking railway line and the west side of Mitcham Common. A crossing of the existing Brighton Road will run through the Downs and diverge eastwards to avoid the Redhill-Reigate development. Then the route will run east of Holley, Gatwick Airport and Crawley to merge with Al at the northern end of the Handcross by-pass. Completion is expected in the early 1970s.