Vehicle Bans Would Force Up Prices
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LANNERS who would impose bans on commercial vehicles would be responsible for higher prices in the shops, claimed Mr. F. H. Layton, chairman of the London and Home Counties Division of the Traders' Road Transport Association, at the annual meeting in London on Tuesday.
The necessity to keep traffic moving was no justification for indiscriminately blaming the commercial-vehicle user for congestion, he added. Commercial vehicles had a right to use the road, and there was no point in building new roads if congestion were allowed to increase in urban areas.
A strong warning to ancillary users was given by Mr. F. D. Fitz-Gerald, former national secretary of the Association. While the future now seemed more asSured, conditions could change rapidly. In Western Germany, he said, substantial restrictions had been made upon the use of commercial vehicles, and it could be that interested parties in this country were taking note of them.
While everyone deplored the high accident rate on the roads, the view that this could be reduced by transferring heavy loads from lorries to railways should be guarded against, said Mr. FitzGerald. Operators should always emphasize that it was vital that trade and industry be allowed to operate their own vehicles whenever economic.
Mr. S. Hattan (Schweppes, Ltd.) was elected chairman of the Division. Mr. H. C. Chandler (Fisons, Ltd.), Mr. J. W. Bannard (Unilever, Ltd.) and Mr. G. F. Page (J. Lyons and Co., Ltd.) were elected vice-chairmen.
NIGHT SERVICE 'THE Automobile Association have revised their booklet, "Service at Night." It now contains details of 1,128 garages throughout the country that are open until late or all the time.