ROAD TRANSPORT MATTERS IN PARLIAMENT.
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Weak Bridges and Efforts at New Legislation. Transport of Football Crowds. The Retention of Roundabout Systems.
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent.
LAST Tuesday Colonel Howard-Bury presented the A.A. petition signed by 920,000 people praying the House of Commons that the present method of taxation be amended in favour of a flat-rate duty on petrol, with a small registration fee, thereby making, so it was claimed, a more equitably distributed burden over the whole of file motor tax-payers.
Bridges Closed in Aberdeenshire.
THE District Committee of the Deer district of Aberdeen, having closed the bridges at Burngrains and Brigend in Aberdeenshire and the Taitswell Bridge on the main road between Peterhead and. Banff, in the interests of public g.afety, the recent failure of a similar bridge having drawn attention to their weakness, the Minister of Transport stated that he would be prepared to consider sympathetically an application from the District Committee for assistance towards the substitution of stronger bridges on. suitable lines, provided it included a satisfactory arrangement with the railway company as to the contribution to be made by it in respect of its liabilities,
Mr. Boothby called attention to the bad condition of the highway bridges over the L. and N.E. Railway in that district and the fact that the railway company was only bound to maintain the bridges in the condition in which they Were originally constructed, which was inadequate for modern purposes. Col. Ashley said he was aware that many of the bridges in question were too weak to carry unrestricted loads and, that the liability of the railway company *as limited. He had just explained his policy. With regard to the general question of weak bridges, he was hoping that it might be possible to promote legislation embodying clauses which would facilitate negotiations between local authorities and the statutory undertakings concerned.
Asked when the legislation would be passed, Col. Ashley said that, as the Bill was a private members' Bill, it was rather uncertain, and it was for the Prime Minister to decidewhether facilities should be granted.
Roundabout System in London.
riiHE Minister of Transport says it is proposed to 1 continue the present roundabout system of trathe working at Hyde Park Corner and the Marble Arch as a permanency. The positions of several of the refuges at those points have been altered to facilitate the working of the system and it is not proposed at present to make any fresh layout at those particular places.
Automatic Regulators.
THE question of making experiments in the Metropolitan area with the automatic traffic regulators such as those used at the crossing of Park Row and Bond Street, Leeds, is under consideration.
Obstruction to Traffic.
A SEED by Sir Robert Thomas what conclusions 113.had been arrived at with regard to the obstruction to traffic in busy urban thoroughfares caused by vehicles drawn up at the sides of the road, the Minister of Transport replied that, so far as his information went, the powers possessed by the police authorities under the existing laws were adequate for dealing with any such obstruction.
Exports to Australia.
TT is stated officially. that there was a considerable 1 decline in the last six mWe of 1927 in the imports of motor chassis into Australia. The fall in the British share of the trade appears to have been more immediate and more severe than in the case of the U.S.A. Mr. Herbert Williams, Parliamentary Secretary to-the Board of Trade, says he has no special information as to the causes of this recent falling-off ireOur exports, and he points out that the whole question of the Australian market for motorcars has recently been explored by a mission sent out by the industry itself.'
Col. Howard-Bury, suggests that it is to a very great extent 'due to the horse-power tax and the necessity for building certain types of engine to meet the requirements ofthe Australian market.
Contractors' Profits.
A TTENTION was called to the comments of the
Auditor-General on the special arrangements made by the Ministry of Transport with contractors to carry out certain read works, and the question was asked whether, as the remuneration paid to the contractors approximated in some cases in 1927 to 22 per cent, of the cost of the works, steps would be taken to carry cut the work with the aid of local authorities instead. Col. Ashley said that the contracts referred to were made during the years 1920 and 1922 in very exceptional circumstances, and owing to the 'urgency of instituting these works for the relief of unemployment it was not possible to obtain the requisite data to enable tenders to be invited before the Contracts were let. The circumstances were fully explained to the Public Accounts Committge in 1924. Since 1922 no sinillar contracts had been let by the Department. The percentage referred to was reached only in one ease, and the average percentage to cover the contractor's fee and bonus on the whole of the contracts was about 123. per cent, of the net cost.
London Street Accidents.
TIURING the twelve months ending on December 1_131st last there were 1,056 fatalities caused by vehicles in the streets of the Metropolitan Police district, and of these 828 were attributed to motor vehicles other than motorcycles.
Transport of Football Crowds.
ON being asked whether he took any part in conjunetion with the railway companies to deal with large influxes of people to London on the occasion of football matches and other sports, the Minister of Transport said the provision of adequate travelling facilities on railways was a matter for the railway companies. So far as omnibus traffic was concerned, temporary modifications in the Regulations issued under the London Traffic Act were made on special occasions to permit of additional omnibus journeys on restricted streets when he was advised that such relaxation was desirable. Mr. Hardie criticised the practice of running long trains on such occasions and on the following day putting on shorter trains, with the result that overcrowding took place. Colonel Ashley said they could not generalize in a matter of that sort. It was a matter of safety, and each .case must be taken on its merits.