'Alarming Figure for Bad Vehicles'
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'THE number of neglected or not I properly looked after commercial vehicles—even if they were a minority— still amounted to an alarming figure and a menace, said Lord Chesham, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, in the Upper House this week, Recalling the steps which were being taken to meet this problem he said that in their " blitz " operations the Ministry wanted to emphasize that what they were really after was not to catch as many offenders as possible but to obtain an improvement in the standard of maintenance. Therefore these operations had been advertised in advance.
What had come out of the first two " blitzes " (see p. 24) was frightening. said Lord Chesham, and there was other evidence that all was not well. Ministry statistics would suggest that, while on the whole the heavy goods vehicles caused proportionately less deaths and injuries than certain other categories the record was not as good as it had been in the past.
At the moment, he went on, he had no evidence that the increase in speed limit as such had resulted in an increase in accidents. The changes in the Construction and Use Regulations allowing larger vehicles had been proposed after the most careful consideration of road safely factors and not simply because the change would be of great economic benefit, important as that might be in itself.
Lord Chesham pointed out that Mr. Marples was calling together the leaders of the industry—the A-, Band C-licence operators, including British Road Services and British Railways--to treat as a matter of urgency what could be done to improve the condition of lorries. The new weights and dimensions, with the proposals that went with them. were reasonable in themselves and the Ministry did not think they would increase the hazards of the road. It might well be that with the other steps in operation, for plating, better maintenance, and so on, they might even make for greater safety. Lord Chesham recalled that the Ministry were pressing on with a plating system and stressed the importance of defining a minimum power-to-weight ratio. What had to. be produced was a common standard for both existing and new vehicles so that, among other requirements, they would be able to maintain a reasonable speed when fully laden with the appropriate load.
Lord Chesham promised to bear in mind two• suggestions put forward by Lord Shepherd. The first was that the plates showing maximum weights should have a registration number to tie them with the vehicle chassis to ensure that the plate was not switched from one vehicle to another. Lord Shepherd also suggested that the road transport industry might pay an extra amount on its licences which would be set aside specifically for the setting up of testing stations.
Lord Chesham admitted . that he did not know whether this particular point had been raised but said that certainly the great majority in the industry were keen on improvements. It was no benefit to them to have accidents and lorries oil the road. The great majority had been very co-operative about what the Ministry were trying to do and had given a lot of help.
Lord Champion, who had started the discussion, declared that on one hand Mr, Marples made a big show of dressing up in overalls and getting under vehicles in a spot check while on the other he increased the speed limits for lorries, so many of which were unfit for 10 m.p.h.. let alone 40. He increased the weights and sizes of vehicles that came charging down totally inadequate roads.
Lord Champion appealed to the Minister to get his priorities right before he laid the Order authorizing the increased sizes, These were: first. adequate roads, secondly, the maintenance and enforcement of a high standard, thirdly, sufficient speed enforcement devices such as radar and, lastly, adequate police staffing on the roads.