Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
London Traffic Congestion.
MHE Lords last week had a short debate on the congestion of London traffic. Lord Kilmaine suggested that horsed traffic should be excluded from the main streets between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. Lord Jessel agreed that this had been done in certain streets with success, but was against complete exclusion.
Viscount Esher suggested that if every car, when drawing up, was compelled to do so facing the way in which the traffic was going, it would diminish congestion. He noticed that when there was a block at a cross-roads the police allowed the column to get so long that it overlapped a side street. They ought always to leave a gap in the queue, so that traffic coming from the side streets could pass across. He thought the machine, in Oxford Street, had turned out to be more intelligent than the men who regulated traffic in Piccadilly. If the police were instructed to adhere to the same periods of time at in the case of the light signals in Oxford Street they would be equally efficient.
Uncontrolled Pedestrians.
JjB also said that the London pedestrian endangered the system of lights in Oxford Street by taking no notice of them.
.Lord Buckmaster admitted that the lights in Oxford Street had enormously facilitated traffic, and he wanted to know why thosr lights were not universal. They ought to be in Piccadilly and down Bayswater Road. He was astonished that fleets of buses should he allowed to come into London when they did not facilitate London traffic. He expressed amazement at the apathy of the Ministry of Transport.
Government's Reply.
THEEarl of Plymouth, replying for the Government, reminded the Rouse that under the London Traffic Act, 1924, the Traffic Advisory Committee was set up to advise the Minister. This Committee had given a great deal of careful thought to the general question and had made a number of recommendations designed to facilitate the movement of traffic and to provide conditions of greater safety. Congestion, as he saw it, was due mainly to three causes : standing and slow-moving vehicles which hampered the free moving of other vehicles, cross traffic at road junctions, and inadequate road facilities. The committee had come to the conclusion that it would not be fair to prohibit the use of horsed traffic altogether in central London. This view had been
taken also by the Minister. It was recognized that there were still many large haulage contractors and certain other traders, as well as the railway companies, that made use of horse drawn vehicles particularly for short journeys, but he pointed out that there had been a gradual reduction.
Decrease of Horsed Vehicles.
MHE number of horse-drawn vehicles
which passed 98 selected points on the same day in each of the years from 1924 to 1931 decreased from 210,000 in 1924 to 105,000 in 1931. Similarly, between 1913 and 1924 there was a decrease of something like 60 per cent. The Minister accepted the advice of the committee that vehicles restricted to the speed of 8 m.p.h. should be prohibited from using Oxford Street between noon and 7 p.m. unless proceeding to a destination in Oxford Street or one which required the vehicle to make use of Oxford Street. The regulation was due to the light system, which was installed on a basis that traffic would be going at 16 m.p.h. Lord Plymouth referred to the steps which had already been taken to improve traffic conditions ; for example, the prohibition of taxicabs proceeding at a speed below that of the general run of traffic, restriction of waiting periods for passenger and goods vehicles, and the provision of roundabouts wherever possible.
Supply of Tractor Drivers.
1%/IR. DE ROTHSCHILD desired to ..LV_Lknow what steps were being taken to ensure that young men were adopting the trade of tractor-driver in sufficient numbers to guard against a future shortage, in view of the provisions of the Road Traffic Act forbidding persons under the age of 21 to drive a traction engine.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Col. Headlam, said that apart from the present state of unemployment he saw no reason to think there would be any difficulty in finding drivers.
Mr. de Rothschild called attention to the hardship caused to traction-engine proprietors with sons of their own who. in consequence of the provision referred to, were obliged to hire outside labour, and suggested altering the provision by permitting young men of proved capability over 17 years of age to drive such a vehicle.
Col. Headlam pointed out that the age limits were fully debated in Parliament when the Road Traffic Act was passing through its various stages.
Speedometers on Vehicles.
T" ' question of equipping all motor vehicles subject to a speed limit with recording speedometers, which was diecussed recently in the House of Lords, was raised in the House of Commons by Sir G. Hamilton, but the Minister of Transport said that, as at present advised, he was not prepared to propose such a requirement. Metropolitan Coach Services.
iurrt. PYBUS, on being asked when ..131.effect would ba given to the decision of the Amulree Committee as published in the final report of the committee of inquiry into London motor coach services dated August 2, said the first and final reports had to be read in relation to one another. These short-distance services dealt with in the final report must be considered together, and it would not be proper for him to give any decisions on appeals relating to these services, pending the decision of the High Court on the application now before it for a mandamus, which had been made at the instance of one of the operators.
London Services to be Transferred.
THE number of passenger journeys by thp services of undertakings ta be transferred by the London Passenger Transport Bill to the new Transport Board, it is officially stated, is approxi
mately 10,000,000 a day. The daily vehicle-mileage of undertakings transferred is in round figures 350,000 in the case of railways and 950,000 in the case of buses and tramcars. The area affected is approximately 2,000 sq. miles and the population about 9,500,000.
Another Attempt at Legislation.
(IN Tuesday Sir Charles Oman V./brought in a Bill entitled the Dangerous Motor Traffic Bill, "to abate the damage and danger caused to the King's lieges by motor vehicles too large, too heavy, and driven at excessive speed."
Discussion of Salter Report.
THE question of the future relations between rail and road transport was raised by Mr. H. L. Boyce on the motion for the adjournment of the House of Commons on Tuesday. He said it was clearly in the national interest that all forms of transport— road, rail and canals—should be given the fullest opportunity for development.
Mr. G. Lansbur,v, (leaderof the opposition) said that what was wanted was a national co-ordinated transport system. Mr. J. R. Remer said the delay of the Government in coming to a decision was causing a great deal of injury. Mr. L. Smith declared that it would be a calamity if the Government took steps which led to an increase in transport charges. Colonel Readlam, replying to the debate, said that the position of the Government was not a particularly easy. one, because the various opinions of the different interests had gat to be very carefully considered. All the observations on the Salter Report were not received until last month, and the Ministry had not had time to codify them. The Government would proceed so soon as it had made up its mind.