Conservative Party Conference
Page 22
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Peyton warning for road to rail lobby: scope is very limited
from our political correspondent
• A detailed study of possible categories of freight which can be transferred from road to rail transport is now in progress in the Department of the Environment.
But Mr John Peyton. Minister for Transport Industries, warned the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool, which called for a major switch to rail, that the scope is very limited.
"The average freight journey is no more than 30 miles," he said, replying to the Conference transport debate. "Over 90 per cent of freight journeys are less than 100 miles.
"Neither the load nor the distance, therefore, is in most of these instances suitable for the railways," Mr Peyton said.
Everyone now expected to have their needs met by an efficient, flexible, doorto-door, and cheap transport service, he said. But the quality of life would be "a bit meagre" without an adequate distribution service.
Epitaph
Mrs Castle, the former Labour Transport Minister, had built up a cumbrous and bureaucratic system for transferring traffic from road to rail. "Its epitaph must be that neither of her successors ever sought to make use of it," Mr Peyton said.
Mr Peyton announced that he had embarked on a five-year research programme "with the somewhat romantic aim of finding a quiet lorry".
The EEC had agreed upon this initiative, that revision of vehicle noise limits should be undertaken and that revised limits should be put forward in October next year, he said.
Civilize the lorry
"We simply cannot do away with the motor vehicle," the Minister said. "We rely on it far too much and we have got to come to terms with it, find room for it, render its impact less harsh, civilize it and apply that process particularly to the lorry," he added.
Mr Peyton strongly attacked the current Young Liberal campaign for sabotaging commercial vehicles.
Sabotage was no remedy, he said. "Those who toy with such nonsense are really being very irresponsible and are counselling acts which could prove very dangerous indeed, not to mention the fact that they are beyond the law." The Minister said it would be wrong for anybody to suppose that the road haulage industry was not itself concerned about the problems created by goods traffic and distribution. "It is well aware that its practices must be made acceptable to the public which it services.
"But I am absolutely certain that there is wide agreement on one thing — if there is one road we do not wish to go down it is that of public ownership.
"Public ownership for this industry is no answer to its problems," Mr Peyton said.
Mr Peyton revealed that he had no plans for major cuts in the railway network. He plans to make a statement in November on the future of the railways and introduce a Bill soon after, to re-organize railway finances.
He also announced another Bill to bring up to date the -antiquated licensing system" for bus operators. -The licensing system of public transport has been in existence almost untouched for 40 years and modifications are overdue."
The Government's proposals include authorizing the use of private minibuses in rural areas and allowing motorists who give lifts to make a charge.