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Opinions and Queries

23rd May 1958, Page 56
23rd May 1958
Page 56
Page 56, 23rd May 1958 — Opinions and Queries
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Roads of Tomorrow

'THE panoramic presentation of a section of the London' Birmingham Motorway in your issue dated April 18, conveys a much better picture than a mere description by words, and provides much food for thought.

The ultimate aim of a completed programme must be the construction of roads to full motorway standard throughout Britain, and not, as seems the intention at present, short sections of motorway joined to the disabilities of the existing twin-road pattern.

One of the main objets in the expenditure of vast sums on "railway tracks" without rails is surely to increase the average speed from point to point, and thus to give a reduction in costs of transport. If the fast lines are interspersed by stretches limited by the 30-m.p.h. sign— and in the interests of safety I would not suggest that the limit should be removed—then the overall rise in average speed will be negligible. Road transport will still not be able to operate at its potential peak of efficiency—a peak which is continually rising.

The siting of the motorways and short spurs should be such that none of the ports and industrial areas, from the centre to the fringe, is more than 40-50 miles from entry to the fast-transit roads. Moreover, heed should be taken of possible development of virgin areas, which may be required to decant parts of industry, population and shopping centres from our larger cities. some of which are in the throes of self-strangulation. Whilst there seems little prospect of an entirely new road system being in full functional use under 20-30 years, that is no reason why the present units should not be part of a final link up, and not merely means for allaying the urgent needs of the moment.

A position arising when goods can be moved, door to door, from Manchester to London in about five hours, and a car take three, will bring into bold relief the whole future of internal transport in Britain, and its differing spheres of usage. It is a problem to be tackled now, -and not allowed to drift along until millions have been spent, with no solution in sight. Roadmen—and the term includes all, from the docker handling iron ore to the wayside-fillingstation attendant—can put forward a completely sound case for road transport in Britain's economic future.

It is not too much to say that further construction of motorways lies entirely in the pattern of behaviour which will emanate from usage of the Luton-Dunchurch stretch. ,All known experience of safety matters goes into its construction, but all the failings of the human element can never be taken into account. If the road becomes a scene of mass carnage, public opinion will veto any repetition or enforce severe speed limits.

Earlier, in The Commercial Motor, I advocated the use of four-lane roads in each direction, with the segregation of goods vehicles in the near-side two, leaving the off-side two lanes for faster traffic. As I see it, with three lanes there is a possible source of danger. There is a wide gap between the maximum speed of a heavy goods vehicle and that of a car, and it does not seem possible that goods vehicles will be debarred from drawing into the centre lane to overtake other goods vehicles. One drawing into the centre lane at 40-50 m.p.h. may encounter a car overtaking at 80-90 m.p.h. and a risky situation thus be created. Although drivers of t` heavies " are acknowledged to be amongst the safest on the road, it is not easy to judge the speed of an oncoming car in a side mirror, and more so if the car is coming from a dip in the road. The car driver

n22 may have road room for avoiding action, provided no other vehicle lies in his path. On the other hand there is the driver who loses his head and whose avoiding action might take him over the hard shoulder and off the road altogether, or through the centre reservation.

The correct use of the hardshoulder would seem to require enforcement to the point of its being a punishable offence to employ it improperly. If indiscriminate parking is permitted it means the breaking and crossing of lanes in large numbers. The hard shoulder will allow many with mechanical trouble to get off the road, but it does not cater for the vehicle without any way on, when the engine cuts out without prior warning. So far no provision has been announced for the stationary immobilized vehicle and its quick removal from the lanes. Yet this is of the utmost importance in safety measures.

Whilst the twin roads will be divorced by the centre grass part, there does not seem to be any method by which essential services can transfer from one road to the other, except by the slip and service points. Such a manceuvre is to be strongly deprecated, but it would seem necessary for police, ambulance, fire and recovery vehicles to be able to cross at intermediate points, not too widely spaced.

The spacing of service points 12 miles apart seems to me to be too close and unnecessary. Your illustration of the Luton-Dunchurch route shows seven slip junctions plus four service points, at all of which reduced speeds or even imposed speed limits may be required for short distances. On that basis the free run without interruption averages less than five miles in the total length of 53 miles. If the service points were incorporated in the slip junctions, the length of free run would be nearly eight miles, making a notable difference to overall average speeds.

The fewer " incisions " in the motorway the better, as all of them are potential accident areas where 'high road speeds are concerned. It must be remembered that the road will carry its percentage of less-skilled drivers ill equipped mentally to handle vehicles at high speeds. Possibly a new class of driver will have to be developed to operate on the motorway, by virtue of passing a stricter test.

Scotstoun, Glasgow. ARTHUR R. WILSON.

An Hour to Change a Wheel

A S one who services his own car, I was interested in your j-k analysis of maintenance tests of commercial vehicles published on May 2.

It took me more than an hour to change a wheel on my car of popular make, because of the ridiculous jacking system. After a seat cushion has been removed the jack is inserted through holes in the seat base and the floor, and a lug on the side of it engages (theoretically) in a tube welded to a cross-member.

The lug and tube were close fits when the car was new. In four years the socket has become corroded and caked with mud, which it took more than half an hour to remove with screw-driver,-knife and emery paper. Finally, after generous lubrication, the jack was inserted with a hammer. If the manufacturer could have heard what I said about him while I fought to extract the jack, which had become jammed solid, his face would have been dyed permanently crimson.

Potters Bar. H.E.G.

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Locations: Manchester, Glasgow, London

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