Police State: Stage One
Page 32
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UTNDER a highly dangerous clause which Mr. J. %.--) Boyd-Carpenter, Minister of Transport, has tabled for inclusion in the Road Traffic Bill, the Commissioners of Police for the Metropolis and the City of London are to be given what amounts to powers to make, interpret and enforce their own laws. It enables them, with the Minister's consent and after giving such notice as he may direct, to make regulations to control traffic, for an experimental period, in 10 different ways.
Two of the methods are particularly dangerous to goods-vehicle users. One of them is by "prescribing the conditions subject to which and the times at which articles may be loaded on to or unloaded from vehicles on streets." The other is by "prescribing the conditions subject to which and the times at which vehicles delivering or collecting goods or merchandise, or goods or merchandise of any particular class or classes. may stand in streets."
The Commissioners will also be authorized to control stopping places of buses and "other public conveyances." The schedule in which the methods of control are enumerated does not allow discrimination against particular types of vehicle in the use of streets, and apparently the Commissioners will not have power to prohibit, say, contract carriages from _entering parts of the London area.
Any provision contained in regulations made under the clause may apply at all times or on specified days or during certain periods. It may apply either throughout the day or during any part of the day, and to vehicles in general or to specified kinds of traffic.
Anyone contravening the regulations will be liable to a fine of up to £20 on a first offence dr up to £50 thereafter. The regulations cannot remain in force for longer, than 12 monthS, but may be extended by the Minister's direction for a further period of up to 12 months. They may even override regulations made by the Minister under Section 10 of the London Traffic Act, 1924.
Although the clause requires that the Minister must give his consent to the making of the regulations, it does not call upon him to approve their contents. Under the clause, as drawn, the Police Commissioners apparently do not even have to tell the Minister what they propose to do, but merely to inform him that they wish to make regulations.
As the main aim of the police in relieving congestion is to keep traffic moving freely at all costs, crippling restrictions on waiting by goods vehicles may be imposed. The police are not to be required to consult anyone concerned before they act and there is to be no right of appeal.
This is one of the most outrageous clauses ever introduced in any Bill and it is to be hoped that Parliament will have the wisdom to throw it out.