Road-building Setback
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nUICKER hire-purchase repayments and a damper on the road building p;ogramme were among the measures announced this week by Mr. James Callaghan in his tough "little budget ". Roads and other non-industrial capital projects for which contracts have not yet been signed, will be delayed for six months, except in development districts and areas of high unemployment
Mr. Callaghan added that "urgent action" would be taken to increase efficiency and access at the docks.
In the Commons on the following day, the Minister of Transport said that he did not expect that the Chancellor's proposals would affect the completion of 1,000 miles of motorway by the early 1970s. It would certainly not deter him from going ahead with the study he was making at the present time of future motorway requirements.
Liberal MPs, critical of the road building delays, are to table motions on the programme in the autumn.
27m. Vehicles by 1980
IGHTEEN million vehicles by 1970 kd and 27 m. 10 years after that—this forecast by the Road Research Laboratory was given in the Commons last week.
No Upward Pipes
Minister of Transport last week "rrejected the idea of high, upwardpointing exhausts for lorries. "The vertical discharge of vehicle exhaust gases at cab roof level has positive disadvantages ", he said, after the Earl of Dalkeith (Tory, Edinburgh North) had advocated this change in the Commons.
In his reply the Minister pointed out that many of the constituents of exhaust emissions, especially -diesel oil smuts, were heavier than air, and were better blown out near the ground.
LORDS APPROVE GOODS BILL
E Carriage of Goods by Road Bill
continues on its smooth passage through Parliament. Last week, without any discussion, the Lords gave it their approval, and it can now become law without trouble.
Unloading Restrictions
-pp restrict the hours during which goods 1vehicles should be allowed to unload in central London could only be considered in the light of the study on restrictions of traffic generally, which he had announced last April, said Mr. Fraser.
He made this point after complaints in the Commons about congestion in London caused by the unloading of goods vehicles.
The Minister said he was in the closest consultation with the Greater London Council and hoped to be able to say something positivz on the matter this year.