Fhird Time Lucky
Page 43
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HE Government were taking no chances with the debate on the increase in the speed limit en heavy goods vehicles .ont 20 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h., which was due to take place the House of Commons yesterday. The debate having een squeezed out on two previous occasions, they placed first in yesterday's business, so that there was ample time ) discuss the subject.
It was something of a formality, because whether or not se employers and the unions agree on terms, the limit rill be raised on May 1. The Labour attitude is that a Atlement should be reached first. The Government, owever, take the line that the two sides can reach agreelent, even if a fait accompli is required to bring it about, They believe that an increase in the limit will make police rosecutions realistic and will help manufacturers to build lore substantial vehicles that will have an appeal in the :uropean market under the scheme for free trade.
3ress !
HOPE the national organizing committee of the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition will accept their subommittee's recommendation for a modified contest this year o circumvent the difficulties of fuel rationing. The competition has reached a critical stage in its growth and a apse of a year might kill the enthusiasm of drivers and ■ perators that has been so carefully nurtured.
Everything depends on the Ministry of Transport making he necessary fuel available. As it gives no other kind of upport to this important contribution to road safety. the east it can do is to issue a few coupons.
Flush!
ZECURITY has run riot in British Road Services. 1 inquired last week the name of the hospital in which vlr. C. Barrington had undergone a serious operation, as it iccurred to me that some of his old friends might like
o write to wish him a speedy recovery. But I was politely old, through the central Press office of the British Transport 2ommission, that the information could not be given. if Ir.Earrington is disappointed by the lack of interest shown
n him by his friends, he now knows the reason.
B.R.S. relations with the Press are lamentable. The underaking is losing a great deal of valuable free publicity by a aolicy of suspicious isolation. But the Road Haulage Association will not thank me for pointing it out. The hay is heirs. even without the benefit of sunshine.
Dog Eats Dog
INDEPENDENT hauliers are still each other's greatest 'enemies. In the year ended September 30, 1955, they were responsible for 42.1 per cent, of the objections to licence applications, followed by the railways with 37.9 per cent. and British Road Services well in the rear with 20 per cent.
The "Summary of Annual Reports of the Licensing Authorities for Goods Vehicles, 1954-55," which contains these figures, refers to the inconvenience caused by inadequately prepared applications by newcomers appearing in person and by the withdrawal of applications, often without notice, It might be added that in some instances where applicants have been 'legally represented, the presentation of their cases has not been all that could be desired.
The Nelson Touch
I T is not surprising to rqad that the Licensing Authorities,
when dealing with aeplications for A or B licences generally, have not had "to take into consideration to any extent" the provisions of the 1953 Act relating to the charges made or to be made for existing or proposed facilities.
Any Licensing Authority who did so, would soon find himself in deep water. Even the Transport Tribunal, when an opportunity seemed to occur to enlarge on the question, ignored it. The general attitude towards rates is clearly, " let sleeping dogs lie."
Out far Blood
THE Licensing Authorities are all out to prevent excessive hours by drivers and to improve the keeping of records. In the year to September 30, 1955, about 1,000 more summonses were taken out than in the previous year. The Summary of Annual Reports" speaks with obvious satisfaction of "the heavy penalties imposed by petty sessional courts in certain areas." Convictions were secured in 1,087 out of 1,429 cases concerning hours and 2,500 out of 2,864 prosecutions on records. You have been warned!
Off the Cuff
IT is a pity that Maj.-Gen. G. N. Russell, chairman of British Road Services, had insufficient time to write the paper on "20th Century Transport" which he delivered to the Institute of Transport at Hull on Tuesday. Instead he spoke from notes and there is at present no permanent record of his address.
His paper was to be a sequel to the controversial address .which he gave to the Tees-side and district section of the Institute on January 18 (The Commercial Motor, January 25). He promised to examine at Hull the question whether the country's whole transport system was developing on the right lines. Gen. Russell's papers are some of the most valuable•presented to any institute and I hope there will be many more of them.
No Memorial
A s we do not change our street names with Continental frequency we shall no doubt have hundreds of. Railway Streets, Station Roads and so on long after most railway lines have closed down, but road transport does not seem to be leaving any similar memorial. I know that a short street in Leeds is called Lorry Bank, but the only other names I can think of relate to railed transport.
There are Tram Streets in Openshaw (Manchester) and Platt Bridge (near Wigan), Car Streets in Platt Bridge and Oldham, Tramway Avenues in Edmonton and Stratford (London), Tramway Road in Dingle (Liverpool) and Tramway Street, in Leeds. Is there a Bus Street anywhere? Perhaps vehicle manufacturers are better commemorated than methods of transport. There are Daimler Roads, for instance, in Birmingham and Coventry.
Long Odds
AMATHEMATICAL genius of Vauxhall Motors. Ltd., has calculated that there is a 200,000m.-to-one chance against a Bedford operator not finding a vehicle to suit him in the new range announced last week. Taking frit° account variations in mechanical specifications, tyres, colours and even glazing, there are 200.000m. possible combinations of Bedford. With odds like these, Vauxhall ought to go into the football-pool business.