Transport's lack of sex appeal
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THE UNDERLYING theme in a talk on "EEC Transport Policy — future trends of significance to road transport operators" in London last week was transport's lack of "sex appeal" in the political context. Apart from the emotive issues surrounding heavy lorries and their axle loads, transport did not excite politicians, or public opinion generally. This was surprising and regrettable, since many European countries were
devoting some 40 per cent of their resources to transport.
The speaker, Mr Kevin I .eyd o n, of the EEC's Directorate-General for Transport, was formerly chief economist of CIE, the Irish State transport undertaking. Giving a purely personal view to a Guardian Business Services' seminar: "Road Transport (Goods) in the EEC — 1974/1980", Mr Leydon urged transport men to look to the future to estimate what type of society would evolve and, hence, what type of transport services and equipment would be needed. Those who concentrated over-much on the problems of harmonization reminded him of the sort of sterile debate that could have happened in Caesar's Rome over the economic merits of camels versus elephants.
There was now in progress a major review of all aspects of transport policy, following on the guidelines.