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Tke icteti
Page 64
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Every so often one of the "convert railways to roads" gents comes to the surface for one of their imagined shafts of light. They should be countered by a blast of the facts of life to ensure that new readers have an opportunity to see both sides of the situation.
The latest example is that of A. J. Walkinson.
With a few exceptions most track beds are far too narrow for conversion without quite prohibitive costs, to say nothing of bridges, viaducts, and tunnels, even if possible at any cost.
Within the foreseeable future, as supplies of petrol dry up, rail transport will of necessity become the only possible means of mass transport of freight and passengers, so any work of conversion would be useless and a waste of money.
Of course, many of Lord Beeching's closed tracks will have to be re-opened anyway.
When that moment arrives, 5,000-tonne freight trains will make the 32-ton cv of today look pretty puny. Most of this weight will be carried remote from any village or town, to the great benefit of the environment. As for passengers, they will be carried in silence and greater comfort, safety, and speed than in any road vehicle in the 125mph high-speed train.
As for safety, while writing this letter Radio London traffic news
included the following ii "On the MI this momin there was a very serious accident involving five lorries and the motorwai completely closed."
First picture the colas waste of time and fuel ti thousands of other road users, the damage to vehicles,, to loads, delaN exports, the cost of use I police, breakdown crew and fire services, to say nothing of insurance lost from that one accident, which could total £250,1 Road accidents now c the country something ir order of .E400 million, to nothing of the loss of life injuries.
There will always be a place for cvs for use between rail leads and delivery points, so instea being anti-anything let ui combine in preparing the way with the most suitel real roads and vehicles f( this purpose, leaving pet and its derivatives for po fire services, etc, and of course for aircraft.
The necessary change the railways are already i use, such as electronics1 locating every freight wa and the automatic contro trains, incidentally far mc efficiently than manual. R. B. DANIELL, Chalford St Peter.