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HEAVY-VEHICLE TESTS TO BE TRIED AT HENDON
Page 42
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FROM OUR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT THE Ministry of Transport is to spend 120,00411 on the experimental testing of 1 heavy goods vehicles at its depot at Hendon.
This expenditure, revealed in the Ministry's 196546 estimates published last weekend, will finance an all-embracing scheme devoted to the development of a quick, efficient way of testing heavies. The experiment, it is hoped, will work out a prototype system which can be used throughout the country. Time and motion studies, and the use of various types of equipment, will be among the priorities in the experiment. The over-riding requirement, however, is to find out whether tests can be carried out at commercial centres, or if special Ministry stations will have to be set up.
There is natural worry over the idea of economic limitations on Ministry stations. If there were too few of them, hold-ups and delays to business might be considerable.
The Minister has not yet made a final decision. It is hoped that, by spending a modest amount at Hendon, the technicalities will be ironed out and a decision made more obvious_
As to the date the tests will be introduced, it is still hoped that they can come this year, though as Mr. Fraser himself says, there are many problems of detail to be solved and legislation will be necessary.
ROAD SPENDING IS TO RISE
The Ministry's estimates reveal that new road construction and major improvements during the year starting on March I will cost an estimated £166,370,000 compared with £145,620,000 in the current year.
This will be split between England (f131,700,000), Scotland (£21,870,000) and Wales (12.800.000).
Major sums will be spent on the London-Yorkshire motorway (132,240,000), the London-South Wales motorway (E15,570,000) and the Birmingham-Penrith motorway (5,874.000).
Among trunk road schemes to be allocated large sums are the London-Fishguard road (over £3m.) and the London-Canterbury-Dover road (£2,500,000).