Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
AMENDMENTS TO ROAD TRAFFIC BILL.
AMONG the early batch of proposed amendments for the Committee stage of the Road Traffic Bill is the, suggesdon that the maximum speed limit for built-up areas should be 10 m.p.h. except in those cases where the Minister has certified that the surface, camber and banking of the road are such that the speed may be increased to 40 m.p.h.
It is proposed than any regulation Made by the Minister under the Roads Act, 1920, for prescribing the ;manner in which the identification mark's or the signs to be fixed on any vehicle shall be rendered easily distinguishable by night, shall include a provision that so far as may be reasonably practilable all parts of the marks or signs hall equally illuminated.
CONTROL OF CYCLISTS.
THERE are amendments to Clause 13 I requiring that bicycles which are not compelled to carry a rear lamp should carry • a lamp showing to the rear a red light visible for a reaisonable distance, and empowering the Minister to make regulations with respect to the position which certain classes of vehicle shall occupy when in motion on any road, both with reference to the road and to other vehicles, and in particular to provide that riders of bicycles and tricycles shall not ride more than two abreast on any road.
Suggested alterations in the first schedule are that the 30 mph. maximum speed allowed to passenger vehicle carrying more than seven passengers, and vehicles carrying not more than seven passengers and drawing a two-wheeled trailer, should be limited to roads not within a built-up area, and that.-20 m.p.h. should be the limit in built-up areas. Many other .amendmerits have yet to be handed in.
POLICE WARNINGS.
AR. LECKIE asked the Home Secre1V1tary whether he was satisfied with the result of the instruction given to Chief Constables to warn motorists reported by the police for minor infringements of the law instead of iissuing summonses against them; whether he could give any statistics showing the extent to which this discretion had been utilized; and whether it had resulted in any notable reduction in police-court cases.
Sir J. Gilmour said that during the years 1929-1932 out of a total of 1,294,062 offences relating to motor vehicles 940,628 cases were dealt with by prosecution, whilst 353,434 were dealt with by police caution. It might
n42 be assumed that in at any rate a large percentage of the cases dealt with by police caution a prosecution would otherwise have been necessary. He had no reason to be dissatisfied with the present procedure in this respect.
OXFORD BY-PASS ROAD.
IT is officially stated that work on the Oxford by-pass road began in December, 1930, and that two sections are already open to the public, whilst a third section will be open about the end of next month. It is expected that the whole of the by-pass will be completed and opened to the public by September of next year.
LIGHTING OFFENCES BY CYCLISTS. , THE Home Secretary stated that separate figures regarding prosecutions for riding bicycles at night with inefficient red reflectors were not available, but during 1933 20 prosecutions were instituted for lighting offences by cyclists on reports by Metropolitan Traffic Patrols,
Sir W. Brass suggested that instructions should be given to the mobile police that in the Metropolitan Area bicyclists riding at night should have efficient reflectors, and if not that they should be prosecuted. Sir J. Gilenour thought the House would deal with that matter in the new legislation.
SPEED IN SIDE STREETS.
A SUGGESTION was made as to the tt advisability of introducing compulsory lighting of side streets with coloured lamps to indicate to motorists the speed limit to which they should travel in those streets. Col. Headlana remarked that there would no doubt be an opportunity for the discussion of the proposal in the course of the proceedings on the Road Traffic Bill.
CHILDREN AND TRAFFIC DANGERS.
'THE Parliamentary Secretary to the / Board of Education, upon being asked what steps were being taken to teach children road-sense and the rudiments of the -Highway Code, said that memoranda had been issued by the , Board to Local Education Authorities from time to time on the subject of Traffic Dangers.
REDUCTION OF MOTORCAR DUTIES. , IN submitting the Budget on Tuesday I the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the horse-power duty on motorcars would be reduced from to ifis., with a corresponding reduction for motorcycles. Also surrender fees would be abolished.
TO HELP EXPORT TRADE.
ik AR. CHAMBERLAIN, in his speech, alsaid that among the industries which had shown a capacity for expansion none was more conspicuous than the motorcar industry.
The increase in production in recent years had really been phenome,.nal, but it. had been represented to him that the export trade in private cars was not quite maintaining its earlier resilience, and that in particular our manufacturers were finding some difficulty in meeting . overseas competition from foreign cars of higher horse-power.
He was informed that the trade had been to some extent hampered by the heavy horse-power tax, and that if any reduction could be made in the rate of the tax it would be likely to lead to an expansion of production in all kinds of private cars in this country, which would react favourably also upon the export trade.
COST OF SCHEME.
THE cost under the existing law, he said, would fail to be borne as to two-thirds by the Road Fund and onethird by the Exchequer, ut in
sent circumstances,circumstances, with many claims being made on his surplus, he did not feel that he could undertake this year to provide any considerable sum for the purpose.
By arrangement with the Minister of Transport it had been agreed that the Exchequer share of the proceeds of the motor-vehicles duties under present circumstances should be subject to a minimum of £5,000,000—rather less than he had expected to get.
The price of the concessions would fail mainly on the Road Fund.
LOCAL SPEED LIMITS.
THE applications made by local
authorities for speed limits since the .Road Traffic Act, 1930, came into force number only 11. Col. Headlain states that of these applications one for 30 m.p.h. has been approved; of two ior 15 m.p.h. one was 'granted arid the other refused ; of seven for 10 m.p.h., two were granted, four refused and one is under consideration; and. one for 4 m.p.h. (through the Abbey Gateway at Malvern) was granted.