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ROAD TRANSPORT MATTERS IN PARLIAMENT.

30th March 1926, Page 9
30th March 1926
Page 9
Page 10
Page 9, 30th March 1926 — ROAD TRANSPORT MATTERS IN PARLIAMENT.
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Poor Prospects for the Road Vehicles Bill. The Question of Two-seater Cabs for London. The Use of Imported Road Stone. Coin-throwing from Coaches. The Restriction of Buses on Tramway Routes,

By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent.

A SIGNIFICANT answer was made by Colonel .Z-1 Ashley the other -day which might well lead people to suppose that he is beginning to despair of an early introduction of his Road Vehicles Bill. He was asked whether a recent answer was not to the effect that the Government is going to introduce legislation making insurance against third-panty risks compulsory. His reply was: "No. The answer was to the effect that if and 'when I introduce the Road Vehicles Bill this matter will be given serious consideration."

The word "if" may signify much or little. The prospects of having the Bill' brought before the House fo discussion at a date which will permit of its passage into law this session are none too bright at the moment. The Minister of Transport has charge of the Electricity Bill, which is a first-class measure of great importance and his hands will be full for many weeks after Easter, the Prime Minister having stated that the Committee stage will extend over a long period. It cannot be expected that the Road Vehicles Bill, for which also the Minister of Transport is responsible, will be taken concurrently, so that it stands a poor chance of consideration before the tail end of the session, if even then.

London Taxicab Fares.

ON the 18th inst. the Home Secretary was interrogated with regard to the reduction of taxicab fares in London and the probability of two-seaters being licensed. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks intimated that if, as he gathered, the taxicab trade was not prepared for a reduction of fares (and he was awaiting a final answer), he proposed to authorize the immediate licensing of two-seater cabs at a reduced tariff. He had no power to make the introduction of two-seater cabs dependent upon the withdrawal of an equivalent number of existing cabs.

When reminded that the public would not be satisfied with a reduction only on the fares for the first mile, the Home Secretary remarked that he wished to have all relevant considerations In his mind before he dealt with what was a very difficult subject. He would be willing to receive a deputation from the cab owners to put funther facts before him. (This deputation took place on the 22nd inst., without a settlement.) Another point was raised as to whether the Traffic Board had been consulted regarding the introduction of a large number of extra vehicles on already overcrowded roads. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks said that he had not consulted the Traffic Board but he had ascertained from his advisers that, within the next few years, there would be certainly 50,000 more vehiele,s on the streets of London and he would think that the addition of 500 taxicabs would make no material. difference.

Advisory Committee and Two-seaters. A FEW days later an interesting piece of informa_tl. tion was given by the Home Secretary regarding a recommendation by the Traffic Advisory Committee on the subject of two-seater cabs. The Committee, which was consulted by the Ministry of Transport, recommended that before two-seaters were licensed powers should be sought in order to enable the Home Secretary to limit the number of taxicabs and taxicab drivers. It appeared to him, however, that any proposal to limit the number of those vehicles which were in quite a different position from omnibuses nlying

on fixed routes was beset with very groat difficulties and open to many objections, and lie did not, therefore, find it. possible to accept this advice.

On it being suggested that the limitation of licences should be considered, Sir W. Joynson-Hicks remarked that neither the Home Secretary, nor the Advisory Committee, nor anybody else had power to limit the number of licences, and he did not propose to ask Parliament to give him that power, as he did not think it would be in the interests of the State, the taxicab owners, drivers, or general public. He added that he had had representations from the taxicab drivers, but he was afraid he was unable to accept their advice.

L.G.O.C,'s New Controlling Interests.

ir R. PERCY HARRIS having called attention to lif_Lthe "purchase of five independent omnibus companies by the London General Omnibus Company," asked the Minister of Transport how it would affect the apportioning of the number of journeys on restricted streets between the various proprietors -under Section 7 of the London Traffic Act, whether he had been notified of the change of proprietorship under Section 14 of the Act, and, if so, when. Colonel Ashley stated that notice had been given to him in pursuance of Section 14 of the Act that the London General Omnibus Company had recently acquired a controlling interest in the business of five omnibus companies operating within the London traffic area. The acquisition of control was notified to him in two cases on February 8th and in the other cases on March 9th. He understood that the controlled companies were retaining their separate status and the apportionment of journeys on restricted streets would not be affected.

Foreign Material for British Roads.

THE value of foreign roadstone, setts and kerb used in the construction and repair of British roads during the-past year is estimated officially at between E00,000 and £700,000. Colonel Ashley stated that every endeavour is made by his department to encourage the use of British materials, but only a portion of the work of the highway authorities comes under his review. As regards roadstone, the tonnage of imported materials represents less than one-sixtieth part of the total consumption of roadstone in Great Britain.. Some parts of the country are so placed as to enable water-borne materials from abroad to compete favourably with British products.

With regard to works., under the Unemployment Grants Committee, all the materials used must be British. Both the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Health are doing all they can to encourage the use of British material on other werks, and have issued circulars to local authorities urging them to give a preference in all cases to British material. Several members suggested that the Minister should do something more than "urge" local authorities, but, as Colonel Ashley pointed Out, the ultiraate responsibility rests with the road authority.

Copper Throwing from Chars-a-Bancs.

THE Home Secretary states that by-laws prohibiting the throwing of coln,s to children by passengers on chars-k-bancs are in force in the counties of Kent, Essex, Surrey and Middlesex and in the boroughs of Kingston-upon-Thames, Croydon, Richmond and Wim bledon. The London County Council has similar bylaws under consideration. It is beyond ordinary intelligence to understand why an admittedly pernicious practice, physically and morally dangerous to children, should, with the solemn, consent of the Home Office, be made a police offence, in four counties and four boroughs and allowed to continue in every other part of the country.

The different closing hours for licensed premises in Oxford Street are an anomaly about which a great deal has been heard and which certain members of Parliament are seeking to remove by legislation, although in that sphere members of the public, cannot offend when doors are closed against them. Passengers by chars-it-banes, however, crossing the boundary of Sussex into Surrey, as thousands do daily in the height of the season, subject themselves unwittingly to pains and penalties if, in a holiday mood of silliness, they toss a penny to a child at the roadside. They may have scattered coins all the way from the South Coast without offending the law. This is but one flagrant instance of the many anomalies presented by the lack of uniformity in legislation affecting road traffic.

Local laws are in many cases incompatible with the needs of through motor traffic and in the matter of copper-throwing the general public, and probably every driver, would welcome a general law forbidding everywhere this foolish form of largesse. The driver has a sufficiently responsible job without being distracted by children running or tumbling cartwheels on the roadside and scrambling for coppers, sometimes in dangerous proximity to his own vehicle, or other traffic. There ought to be a clause in the new Road Vehicles 13i,11 making it a penal offence to throw money from a moving passenger vehicle in any part of the country. When are we to have a consolidation and codification of all the bewildering patchwork of general Acts and regulations, local Acts, and local by-laws which has been thrown over the users of the roads?

Philistines and Hyde Park.

IN repeating the view of the Minister of Transport that, from the paint of view of traffic requirements, it is unnecessary to make any alterations inHyde Park, Viscount Peel asked the House of Lords to support him in resisting Stich proposals made by the Philistines.

Acquisition of Land for Roads.

IN connection with the recent acquisition of a plot of about one acre of land by the Middlesbrough Corporation for the South Tees main trunk road, Colonel Ashley stated that the sum asked by the vendors was 11,900, including 11,572 in respect of the purchase price and £3,328 in respect of compensation for severance and injurious affection. For poor and general district rates the land was assessed at £3 6s. Sd. per acre. The valuation anade by the Valuation Office of the Inland Revenue Department was £332 17s. ed., and the arbitrator awarded the vendors £550, with interest at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum as from January 4th, 1923.

Reduction of Omnibus Services.

THE number of omnibuses which will be affected by the restrictions to be placed on the omnibus services running over the tramway route between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge will, according to the Minister of Transport, depend upon the manner in which the omnibus proprietors concerned decide to operate the journeys permitted under the regulations. This will not be known until fresh schedules for the services affected have been deposited by the proprietors with the Commissioner of Police. It is further pointed out that the proprietors owning four vehicles, who will not be allowed to operate in journeys over the route, did not come into the business until early in 1925, several months after the London Traffic Act came into force and when it was known that omnibus services would

be restricted under the powers conferred by that AcE Whilst the Minister states that he would regret if, as a result of these restrictions, any ex-Service men were thrown out of employment, he submits that, if, as a result of continued unrestricted competition, any tramway undertaking were compelled to cease operating, a far larger number of ex-Service men would be thrown out of employment.

Piccadilly TrafficRegulations.

THE new traffic regulations in Piccadilly have, in the opinion of the Ministry of Transport, been successful in accelerating the speed of traffic and reducing the number of traffic blocks, but the experiment has not been in operation sufficiently long to enable any definite conclusion to be formed. The Advisory Committee are exploring and will continue to explore the practicability of further regulations designed to assist in other congested thoroughfares, but, with experiments of this character, progress must necessarily be plow.

Drawing Up at Off-side Kerb.

A SUGGESTION has been made that a regulation ..C1_ should be adopted prohibiting a vehicle from draw. Ling up to the kerb on its off side facing oncoming traffic, owing to the danger, especially at night. The London Traffic Advisory Committee have, however, already given consideration to the matter and tentatively come to the conclusion that a regulation as suggested would increase rather than diminish the traffic difficulties in the more congested thoroughfares. Perhaps no one will quarrel with the soundness of this decision.

New Road Schemes.

IT is officially stated that 695 schemes of road improvement and construction have been submitted to the. Ministry of Transport during the past six months, involving a total estimated expenditure of £3,126,000. Of these schemes, 305 have been approved for grants from the Road Fund. The approximate cost to the Road Fund of the remainder of these schemes is estimated at £1,000,000. Some of the proposals may be found ineligible for grants, whilst others may rank for assistance next year.

Strengthening of Canal Bridges.

MR. W. PALING having called attention to the fact that, during the last few weeks, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company had scheduled 325 bridges and were issuing writs against anyone who attempted to pass over a scheduled bridge with a larger weight than the notice provided for, with the result that traffic was disorganized and serious delays were taking place, Colonel Ashley pointed out that Mr. Paling was under a misapprehension as to bridges having recently been scheduled. The Canal Company, he aaid, appeared merely to have notified road users of restrictions already in force. In the circumstances .mentioned, it rested with the responsible highway authorities to negotiate with the Canal Company regarding any strengthening of the bridges.

London Omnibus Ownership.

THE following official figures with regard to London omnibus owners has been issued by the Home Secretary. Of the 5,190 motor omnibuses licensed in the Metropolitan Police district on the 31st March, 1925, 4,628 belonged to the London General Omnibus Company and associated companies, and 562 to other proprietors. Of the latter, 102 proprietors owned one omnibus; 45 owned 2; 11 owned 3; 4 owned 4; 9 owned 5; 7 owned 6; 4 owned 7; 2 owned 8; 2 owned 9; 5 owned from 10 to 20; 2 owned from 21 to 30; and one owned from 31 to 40.

Petroleum Bill.

TORD DESBOROTJGH, on the 23rd inst., introduced .Ain the House of Lords the Government Bill to emend the Petroleum Acts, and it was read a first time.


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