John Elliott's farewell salvo
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The Freight Transport Association is against quotas, permits, licences, controlled rates, any European measure which will increase the cost of transport and any proposal to change the British licencing system. This was the final message which Mr J. R. Elliott, the Association's immediate past-president, left with the members on Monday evening.
He was addressing 850 members and guests in the London Hilton and he told the principal guest, Lord Sandford, who was deputizing for Mr Peter Walker, that he was sure that the Government shared the FTA's concern in these matters. He invited the Government to place high priority on both transport and distribution in all its European negotiations.
On matters of transport at home, Mr Elliott said road construction was the key to environmental improvement, and restrictions on vehicles would harm the environment. He welcomed the recently announced plans for road development anc hoped that the Government would act witf real urgency and dynamism. His suggestior that the date for completion of the road: programme should be 1975 instead of 198( appeared to get some encouragement fron the principal guest in his subsequent reply.
Mr Elliott accepted that operators wile used dirty, noisy, smoking vehicles beim driven fast in narrow high streets witl insecure loads invited criticism. However operators did not send vehicles througl ancient towns and villages if alternativ. routes were available. Such routes wer taken as a matter of necessity and not o choice. "But", he said, "there is a great dea of difference between through traffic an' that which requires access". The answer ti lorries in the environment did not, in hi opinion, lie in global solutions, in designate groups, bulk transfer terminals and the lilo but in planning to meet local circumstance and he suggested that this could best t done by leaving local authorities to find tlsolutions. He pledged the support of tf PTA in finding solutions to the enviroi mental problems.