Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
ROAD TRAFFIC. BILL IN COMMITTEE.
AT the fourteenth sitting of the 4-1Standing Committee, the consideration of the Road Traffic Bill was concluded and the Bill ordered to be reported to the House. No fewer than 462 amendments, including 44 proposed new clauses, had been dealt with.
At the final sitting, Sir Joseph Lamb proposed a new clause to the effect that when making a new road or improving an existing road separate carriage-ways for local traffic and suitable stopping places, elsewhere than on the line of through traffic, should be provided.
Mr. Stanley said he had pointed out previously that, although they were all agreed as to the need for these service roads in certain cases, the difficulty of definition in an Act of Parliament was almost insuperable. He again quoted from the circular which had been sent out to local authorities: " Service roads should be included in the layout of arterial routes where building development, especially shops, is likely." In considering new schemes of local authorities he would give careful attention to this question.
DURATION OF ROAD SERVICE LICENCES.
ANEW clause was adopted on the motion of Mr. Stanley, whereby the licence to drive or act as a conductor of a public service vehicle should extend for three years, and that the Minister should be given the power to vary the period of the road service licence. At present, he said, the currency was only one year.
He did not feel that the system of licensing had yet reached such a period of stability that it would be possible to introduce a statutory period of three years. He anticipated, however, that at a not-very distant future date large classes of this work would have become so stabilized that it would be possible to give a licence for longer than one year, he had therefore taken the power to do that. The amendment was agreed to. Several consequential amendments were also carried and the proceedings concluded.
RAILWAY OPPOSITION TO LICENCE APPLICATIONS.
MR. GUY moved a new clause relating to applications for road service licences by public-service-vehicle operators. Section 72 of the 1930 Act, he contended, had resulted in the majority of these applications being oppoeed by the railway companies, which had put trouble and expense on the applicant.
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Whilst it was the Traffic Commissioners' duty to consider the co-ordination of road and rail traffic, they Lad no power over the railway services. That had Worked out in some respects rather unfairly. After the railway companies had submitted details of their services, the application of the public-service-vehicle operator might be refused and subsequently in some cases the railways reduced their trains. The Traffic Commissioners had no control over them to prevent this.
Colonel Headlam, Parliamentary Secretary, regarded the proposed clause as unjust to the railway companies. Section 72 enabled the Traffic Commissioners to co-ordinate all passenger transport, including transport by rail. Where a railway company, after opposing an application, did something considered unfair, a fresh application would no doubt be made by the road service people, and the action of the railway company taken into Consideration by the Traffic Commissioners. The clause was withdrawn.
ILLOGICAL LIMITING OF SPEEDS.
AN amendment was proposed to the First Schedule dealing with limits of speed and providing that the maximum speed of heavy motorcars and public service vehicles 'carrying not more than seven passengers outside the built-up areas should be 35 m.p.h. instead of 30 m.p.h. Mr, Guy, who moved the amendment, thought that if it was reasonable to have a maximumspeed limit within the built-up areas there was a case for an increase of that limit outside the built-up areas. Mr. Stanley resisted the amendment, which was withdrawn.
An amendment was agreed to whereby the 30 m.p.h. limit was applied to heavy motorcars not having a body fitted thereon, not. carrying any load other than that required for the purposes of testing, and not exceeding 5 tons in weight unladen, if all the wheels were fitted with pneumatics.
Another amendment applied the 30m.p.h. limit to motor vehicles not exceeding in weight 1 ton unladen if all the wheels were shod with pneumatic or soft or elastic tyres. Mr. Herbert Williams, who moved it said it affected his constituency Croydon) where were the works of Trojan, Ltd., which concern made a vehicle not using pneumatic tyres but soft tyres.
If these machirieS Were to be cora
pelled to travel more slowly than vehicles of the same weight in direct competition with them the business would be prejudiced.
Mr. Stanley said he had received a letter from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders which as a whole advocated these proposals. He thought it was safe to accept the amendment, which was thereupon agreed to.
Colonel Moore-Brabazon called attention to heavy passenger vehicles as compared with heavy lorries. He said that the one might carry a body which was very high and contained 70 people, and might travel at 30 m.p.h., whilst exactly the same chassis, carrying a lorry body and I ton of goods could travel at only 20 m.p.h. That seemed an anomaly and on the Report Stage he would move an amendment to change it. He gave the Minister notice of his intention.
PAYMENTS BY MOTOR OWNERS TO HOSPITALS.
MR. S. STOREY moved a new clause providing for the payment by motor owners to hospitals of the cost of treatment, other than emergency treatment, of victims of accidents up to £50 for in-patients and gs for out-patients, irrespective of the question of negligence. Mr. Stanley objected because it would make the motor owner responsible in the case of an accident in which he was not in any way negligent and which had been caused by the negligence of another.
The proposal in the clause was nothing but a tax upon motorists as a class. The amendment was withdrawn to which some members objected, but on the division it was defeated by 21 votes to 6.
TAXATION OF GOODS VEHICLES.
I N the concluding discussions in Committee on the Finance Bill a new clause as moved by Mr. Holdsworth to reduce the rates of duty on commercial vehicles. He contended that the present taxes discouraged the production of heavy vehicles. Men were putting aside 12-ton vehicles and substituting six 2-tonners, thereby increasing road congestion. Mr. Stanley said the new scale was accepted by the House last year. He reminded the Committee of the privilege operators had enjoyed for many years because the old scale stopped at 5 tons. The industry, furthermore, had continued to expand. The proposed new clause was negatived without a division.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AMBER TRAFFIC LIGHT. •
THE Home Secretary states that special attention is to be paid to drivers who approach traffic signals too fast. He points out that when the amber light is shown alone, a vehicle should be stopped, unless this cannot safely be done before reaching the stop line. If the line has been passed before the light appears the intersection should be cleared.