Lo.T.A. Conference
Page 62
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Rail to Suburbs Long Journeys by Road ?
1NIETHODS of combating congestion in town centres and the dearth of trained highway engineers were the main subjects reviewed by speakers at the annual conference of the Institute of Traffic Administration in Nottingham last week-end. In his opening address, Lord Merrivale of Walkhampton, president, claimed that the operation of road passenger vehicles in conjunction with improved electrified rail services would ease congestion.
Prof. J. Kolbuszewski and Mr. F. D. Hobbs, of the traffic engineering department of Birmingham University, outlined different aspects of promoting scientific investigation of road problems. Prof. G. Walker, professor of commerce at Birmingham University, gave an economist's view on congestion, and advocated the development of suburban rail services in preference to the building of urban highways.
More Containers to be Used
Lord IvIerrivale forecast the widespread application of fuel-cell power units to road vehicles and the greater use of roadrail container services. In common with other speakers, he emphasized that there should be no compulsion on traders to employ a particular type of transport.
The serious lack of "general highway practitioners" was cited by Prof. Kolbuszewski as the basic problem in the creation of an adequate road system. No data were available which indicated what the road programme should be in 10 years' time.
To collect such data it would be necessary to train suitable men to deal with all the technicalities of road traffic, including constructional materials, traffic engineering and town planning, and they should possess a knowledge of architecture and economics.
No men of this type existed; personnel should be recruited from the ranks of graduate engineers. An advanced school of highway engineering of the type that could be found in America, France, Germany and other countries, should be established. The number of highway engineers required over a given period should be forecast. •
Match System to Needs
After pointing out that road traffic was "basic to all other forms of transport." Mr. Hobbs stressed that it would be necessary to match the road system to the country's needs, particularly with regard to underpopulated areas, the stability of which depended upon road facilities.
An active road policy was also essential to the life of city centres, which were "liable to decay" because the population was tending to spread outwards. Elec c I 2
ironic control could be employed to give more uniform traffic flow and provision. should be made for parking in all new buildings, on roofs or in basements. Methods should be devised for segregating pedestrians from other road users.
Mr. Hobbs envisaged the development of an electronic control that would automatically apply the brakes of vehicles in accordance with traffic-flow densities. The transport of pedestrians in shopping centres by a system of conveyor belts Was, Mr. Hobbs considered, another possibility.
In Prof. Walker's view, long-distance traffic throughout the country could well be left open to competition between the railways and other types of carrier, including users of lorries, buses and cars_ The large sums needed for the construction of urban motorways could, however, be more profitably expended in the further development of existing suburban rail services.
Although no one should be compelled to travel by rail, a high fee should be payable by motorists who parked their cars in a city area for more than a limited period.
They would then "voluntarily" use the railway, and the reduction in congestion obtained by this means would 'benefit all vehicle operators tia whom short-period parking was acceptable.
Everybody Has to Pay
Increasing the number of vehicles on a road did not, said Prof. Walker, materially add to its upkeep costs. The cost of congestion did not fall on the highway authority but directly or indirectly on every road user, including pedestrians, The high cost of building urban motorways could he justified only if there were no rail system.
Stilt-type urban motorways would cost £11 m. a mile, and expenditure of this magnitude could be used to improve surburban rail services.
In a discussion, Mr. A. T. Hills, Southampton. chairman, said that limitation of the Government's term of office to five years reacted unfavourably on the preparation of road programmes. These should be based on a 25-year period and shOuld be developed without regard to changes of Government.
Mr. Hills said that whilst the .building of -MI was to be commended, rits completion should have been immediately followed by new road-building projects. This would have obviated the uneconomic idleness of £2m. worth of plant and a trained labour force.
On the second day of the conference, Mr. Ernest Davies claimed that the professional institutions jealously restrained the release of statistical information to outside organizations. There were only 50 traffic engineers in the entire country. Birmingham University were to be commended for establishing a traffic engineering department, but the number of students was limited to 25 this year and the maximum number next year would be 50.
Surveys Cost Little He disagreed with Prof. Kolbuszewski that the training coursefor highway engineers should be restricted to graduate engineers. Financial hacking for survey.S could readily be obtained from the Government. The cost of surveys was small. The real cost could be measured in terms of training personnel.
Outlining the development of a new city centre in Plymouth on a site that waS completely blitzed during the war, Mr.
• A. W. Mahoney said that the centre was " already out of date." The suggestion made by Mr. Hobbs that car-parking facilities should be provided in every building in town centres would result in chaos during peak periods.
Plymouth authorities would like to establish fringe car parks and eliminate car traffic from the centre.
"Tear the Heart Out"
Referring to a comment by the Minister of Transport that catering for modern traffic conditions would tear the heart out of our towns," Prof. Walker observed that, in many cases, there would be no objection to such a development. This did not apply to Paris or Rome but might include Birmingham.
Dealing with traffic in Nottingham, Mr. L. C. Harrison referred to the recent experiment by which all parking was banned in the city centre. This had enabled the buses to run to schedule consistently. No motorist would pay for garaging if free parking at the kerb were available. Staggering shop hours had also been applied experimentally with great success.
Mr. Davies emphasized that handling traffic in two main neaks was costly. Private cars brought prosperity to the cities and adequate parking facilities were essential.
Support for Prof. Walker's suburban rail plan was given by Mr. B. R. Miller, Southern Gas Board. Restrictions on the use of road vehicles were necessary for the good of the community, he said. In Los Angeles, public transport services had lately been reintroduced, because provision could not be made for the vast number of cars.