IN YOUR OPINION
Page 75
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Solution to Motorway Problem?
I WAS very interested to read in last week's issue the I report mentioning Mr. Donald Stokes' views on motorways. He pointed out that Leyland's own fleet showed a saving in man hours alone of 45 per cent on the LeylandBirmingham journey. "If industrialists could obtain returns from motorways, I assure you we would rush to build them as an investment ", he said.
It has often seemed to me that one solution might be to build motorways with private capital and use the road fuel tax to pay back the investors.
As it is vehicle-counting devices are in use on the motorways and if the Government was to pay id. per mile per pair of wheels, it would mean that the road owners would receive Id. per mile for a four-wheel vehicle, Id. for sixwheelers and 2d. for eight-wheelers. Considering the fact that the bulk of the traffic would be cars and they would probably average about 30 m.p.g., the fuel tax of 30d. per gallon instead of 39d. would seem quite adequate.
It would seem that a good motorway to try this out on would be the proposed route from Broughton to Blackpool on the M6, as the land is reasonably fiat and the motorway could probably be built extremely cheaply. Similarly, many railway routes which have the expensive bridges, tunnels and earthworks ready and waiting for a road surface could be taken over and converted into roads.
It is worth remembering that free enterprise built the railways back in the old pick-and-shovel days, and in 1848 no less than 1,182 miles were opened to traffic. In these free enterprise is building vast numbers of motor vehicles and paying stupendous taxes, but the State is not building adequate roads. So unless Britain can treble the rate of road construction congestion will become progressively more desperate.
Harrogate, Yorks. A. I. W ATKINSON. A Proud Record I ALWAYS enjoy The Hawk's comments in "Bird's Eye View ", but I feel I cannot let his comments in your January 8 edition on safe driving go unchallenged.
While I would congratulate driver Bill Brownrigg on his six years' accident-free driving, 1 would point out that, among our own drivers, we have one, Harry Cordingley, with the R.o.S.P.A. 30-consecutive-years' brooch—representing more than one million accident-free miles. Another of our drivers has a 29-year brooch, two have 25-year silver crosses and a number have awards for 10 and 20 years.
I think you will agree this is a record to be proud of.
Bradford. J. BROADHEAD, Manager,
Transport Department, Bradford Dyers' Asscn. Ltd.
Emergency Service Guide
WE have found the 24-hr. and emergency service guide " included in the January 15 issue of The Commercial Motor most useful. It is possible you will be publishing this is a separate supplement as we would like to purchase further copies?
Bristol. 1 L. G. REED,
Transport and Buildings Executive. United Builders Merchants Ltd.
[We hope to publish the guide in reprint form as soon as enough time has elapsed for modifications and additions to the lists to reach us and be incorporated. This will probably be in a few weeks' time, but in any case prominent announcements will be made in The Commercial Motor if such a reprint becomes avattable.--ED.]