AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Roya 1 conclusions

28th April 2005, Page 41
28th April 2005
Page 41
Page 42
Page 41, 28th April 2005 — Roya 1 conclusions
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A top speed of 5mph for HGVs and a vehicle tax to pay for road improvements were among the recommendations of the 1905 Royal Commission. Patric Cunnane continues our series reviewing a century of transport law.

Reducing the universal speed of trucks to 5mph was one of 24 proposals put forward by the Royal Commission of 1905 which was set up to report on the working of the Motor Car Acts of 1896 and 1903.

The proposal would affect "heavy motorcars weighing from two to three tons and having non-resilient tyres". This measure already existed on certain roads (CM 2 August 1906) but was tolerable only because it was rarely enforced. -We can only say that it is far too harsh and restrictive as it stands," said CM.

The Royal Commission was set up under the chairmanship of Lord Selby to examine UK legislation and compare it with that of Europe to decide if improvements were needed.

Its recommendations included the abolition of the 20mph limit for"light motorcars" and the introduction of a 12mph limit in places "where caution is required" such as towns, villages and dangerous corners and hills.

Many witnesses gave evidence to the Commission that the quality of the roads themselves was a problem and the Commission concluded: "There is no doubt that a well-constructed road, made of hard stone, carefully laid on a good foundation, with proper filling or binding material, and well rolled, will produce far less dust than a poorly constructed road, made with some soft or unsuitable stone of the district, and filled in with road scrapings or other unsatisfactory binding."

Local authorities gave evidence that some road damage was caused by heavy vehicles. On this point the Commission was remarkably sympathetic to operators: "The total weight of any single heavy motorcar should not exceed 12 tons gross or eight tons on a single axle and, in our opinion, this is not a heavier weight than main roads, at any rate, should be expected to bear."

The possibility that some operators were overloaded did not seem to cross the Commission's mind.

Blame the tractors

The Commission added that some witnesses were wrongly blaming trucks when the culprits were traction engines: "Traction engines, by which are meant self-propelled vehicles weighing more than live tons unl aden,are without the terms of our reference, but we feel justified in remarking that undoubted damage has been caused by their excessive weight on roads in certain counties and has latterly been at times wrongly ascribed to heavy motorcars."

However. Sir W Hulton gave evidence on behalf of the County Councils Association that seemed to substantiate the councils' case. He reported that a carrier had put on a "service of heavy motorcars with narrow iron tyres which made 22 single journeys a day along six miles of county main road between Blackburn and Preston. In three months time £9.000's worth of damage was done to the road,which the council found themselves unable to recover."

CM pointed out that such"destructive tyres" had subsequently been banned but went on to reveal that the culprit who ran that damaging service was none other than the author of CM'S report on the Commission — our illustrious launch editor. E Shrapnell-Smith. He had founded the Liverpool-based Road Carrying Co in 1902 in partnership with Lord Derby and Sir Arthur Stanley MP Shrapnell-Smith obviously felt that attack was the best form of defence. He wrote: -The damage to the Preston-Blackburn road would not have been done... notwithstanding the narrow tyres and great weights, had the road been properly metalled.

"This 'dreadful example' in any event, furnishes a concrete example of money well spent, for the £9,000 has rendered the road in question one of the best in Lancashire, and one fully able to bear the modern traffic requirements of the shipping and manufacturing centres which it purports to serve."

The point about the need for better road surfaces was accepted — the Commission recommended that a -more durable and, 112 therefore, more costly pattern of road should be employed... In this connection the system of armouring a lits. metalled road service with stone blocks, known in Germany as Kleinpllaster and in Liverpool as random setts,is well worthy of careful consideration by road authorities." 111' The money should be raised, said the Commission, by devoting taxation raised from motorists to the improvement of roads.This would take the form of a payment paid by vehicle owners for the annual registration of their vehicle&

Weighty matters

The Commission then turned its attention to vehicle weights, calling for manufacturers to supply a certificate stating the unladen weight of each vehicle. Failure to do so would be an offence. It also called for a new definition of laden and unladen. Unladen would be "all parts.stores,fuel, water ordinarily used with the car when working", while laden would be the -full lawful load including the weight of the driver". Surely an incentive to cut down on the chips. "We are further of the opinion that the total loaded axle weight of a trailer should not exceed four tons," the Commission warned.

At that time vehicles were only required to have one front lamp and a tail light illuminating the numberplate. The Commission decided vehicles should be obliged to have two front lamps, but it balked at a suggestion from motorists that horse-drawn vehicles should have a tail light because imposing this condition on farmers would be too "stringent".

No action was taken when the report was first published in 1906 — the new Liberal Government was more concerned with introducing its welfare package, including old age pensions. However, in 1909 Chancellor David Lloyd George used his spring Budget to implement one of the Commission's main recommendations:namely that motorists should pay for the upkeep of roads through taxation.

He introduced a graduated scale on licence duty so vehicles of less than 6.5hp paid two guineas, while those over 60hp paid 40 guineas. And a new tax on petrol cost 3d (1.25p) a gallon.

Other recommendations surfaced in future laws but it seems the 5mph limit for HGVs was quietly forgotten. • 1905 Royal Commission KEY RECOMMENDATIONS.

• 20mph speed limit should be abolished. A 12mph limit should be introduced in towns, villages and "places where caution is required" such as dangerous corners and steep hills • The speed limit for heavy vehicles ranging from two to three tons and "having non-resilient tyres" should be reduced to 5mph • The revenue derived from the taxation of motorists should be devoted to road improvements, with local authorities able to apply for grants from government • The registration authority should have the power to weigh any car • Vehicle owners should be penalised if they are shown to have aided and abetted their drivers to commit motoring offences • A penalty should be imposed for being drunk when in charge of a motorcar • The holder of an endorsed licence should be able to obtain a clean licence within two years if there are no further offences • Smoke emissions, visible vapours and excessive and prolonged noise or vibration on public highways should be an offence • Two lamps should be carried on the right and left front of all vehicles except motorcycles • Vehicle taxes should be increased and raised through a consolidated scale of duties • Trade motorcars should pay half the taxes of pleasure motorcars


comments powered by Disqus