"No Waiting" in Peaks Forecast

21st September 1956, Page 92

21st September 1956

Page 92

Page 92, 21st September 1956 — "No Waiting" in Peaks Forecast

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THE absolute prohibition of waiting vehicles on important routes during peak periods was given as an example ot " drastic " meastires which would prove necessary to relieve congestion in city centres until major road improvements could be undertaken, in a paper presented at the national conference of the International 'Union, of Local Authorities, at Hastings, last week. The paper was presented by members of a forum consisting of. Mr. R. Nicholas, city surveyor and engineer, -Manchester; Dr. G. Charlesworth, principal scientific . officer, Road Research Laboratory; and Mr. J. R. Archer-Burton. of the Association ot Chief Police Officers of England and Wales, and Chief Constable of Hastings. " lt is important to appreciate that the 'general improvement of parking facilities will not in itself assist the movement of traffic through city centres," the paper stated. " On the contrary, an increase in the total parking accommodation available will probably encourage more traffic into the central areas, which, although excellent from a trade point of view, will nevertheless create additional traffic problems. "These may be offset to some extent by the better regulation of street parking, which it might be expected would result from the use of parking meters." The introduction of one-way streets on any extensive scale should be adopted only as a last resort. The total closure of city centres to non-essential traffic could not be regarded as a practicable possibility, and partial closure would fail. Even the suggestion that private cars should be excluded, on the basis that they should park outside the central area was generally regarded as impracticable.

KENT MOTORWAY PLAN REJECTED

SEPARATE by-passes for the Medway towns and Maidstone, Leybourne and Ditton have been approved' in principle by the Minister of Transport instead of a. north Kent single motorway following the chalk escarpment. Separate by-passes are supported by Kent County Council and other local authorities. A scheme for a single motorway was put forward by Albert E. Reed and Co., Ltd., paper makers, who have a big fleet of vehicles based at Aylesford, on the ground that it would be cheaper and take up less fa rm land.

B.M.PvLO. CUTTING SERVICES

BECAUSE of a drop in the number of passengers carried, the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., have applied to the Licensing Authority for permission to reduce services on a number of routes. The proposed cuts represent less than 3 per cent, of mileage run on stage services.