Opinions and Queries
Page 68
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Afraid of Competition?
IF the letter-box of S.T.R..; referred to in his article .1' published. on August 6: be accepted as a good guide, who are these people who are advocating country-wide rates and chargesfor road haulage? Perhaps they are those who are already tired of or afraid of the competi-: tion so -much vaunted as the main. need for 'freedom from the provisions& of the 1947 Act
It may have. been overlooked that for. 15 years or more, the failure of efforts to arrive at agreement with the railways in the matter of charges resulted almost solely from lack of organization in the road haulage industry, as a result of the multiplicity of ownership. There is little doubtthat if such agreement could have been reached, nationalization of road haulage would not have occurred.
The suggestion that many operators believe the whole problem. will be solved by charging rail rates for road haulage and that then the traffic would go according to the suitability of the transport medium, savours of the dictum of the British Transport Commission. How would the customer receive such a suggestion?
One has to know only the differences between railway rates and those of British Road Services to anticipate the loud outcry from 'traders to the effect that they were better off under nationalization. The situation might, of course, alter appreciably if the railways initiated a method of charging on a cost basis.
Whilst incoming and rejuvenated hauliers may result in small-scale operation holding sway for several years, I. anticipate that competition will become too exhausting and that the trend will be towards organization on a large scale, with a more standardized system of charging coupled with dependable regularity of services.
Nottingham. L. DENSON HOLMES, A.M.Inst.T.
Are Toll Roads the Answer ?
PRESSURE continues to grow for a real scheme of E road development in this country. The urgency of
the problem cannot be over-emphasized, yet we find the matter dragging on from month to month. Shall we ever be able to persuade the Chancellor of the Exchequer to release funds for this vital work? Will the answer be forthcoming in the form of the suggested loan? What about other possible lines of action?
Speaking recently, Mr. Alan Lennox-Boyd (then Minister of Transport) said: "There might be a case for the introduction of 'toll roads." Later, referring to the suggested road loan, he said: "The proposal was for a loan of £500M. to be spent over 30 years, but the trouble would be that one could not identify the revenue, except through tolls."
I have mixed feelings on toll roads, which savour of the archaic, but America has made considerable use of them recently. In the past year they have spent some thing like 300m. dollars on the completion of nearly 800 miles of arterial thoroughfare. Congress, realizing the need for improvement, has emphasized the desirability of inter-city and inter-state roads. Consequent upon this, some 1,000m. dollars are being allocated to highway construction this year.
Initially, I understand, the idea was frowned upon by United States highway engineers, as it was felt that, with 4m. miles of free roads, nobody would be likely to pay A34 for using a special road. Experience has shown the experts to be wrong. The present toll roads have been particularly successful and the volume of traffic using them has grown so that, even in the wide-open Middle West; the financing of toll roads does not present difficulty.
It seems that these roads, possessing a limited number of entrances and exits, have assumed a major importance in American road-development plans, and have provided an answer to the problem of raising the extremely large sums of money needed for long-distance thorough
fares. Nine States now have major tollroads in operation and new projects in several' other States are under way. Bonds for upwards of 2,000m. dollars are about to be issued for new construction.
What seems the most amazing thing of all is the fact that local traffic and lorries are using the toll highways to such an extent that many estimates are completely outdated and construction costs are being paid off faster that anticipated. Tolls have few opponents in America today. It is not suggested that the problems in this country can be compared. with those in the United States. The size of the two countries, the nature of the terrain and the disposition of major areas bear little or no comparison, yet we cannot fail to admire the adoption of measures which have resulted in vast improvement to conditions which, at their worst, were considerably better than those we of the transport world have to encounter almost daily.
I make no recommendation for toll roads. As a transport manager, I am vitally concerned with the problem of getting down to improved road conditions in this country, both from a safety angle and time and cost saving. Which method shall it be and when?
Southend-on-Sea. FLEET MANAGER.
Licensing System Criticized
REGARDING the cancellation of the road service licences of Bantam Coaches of Coventry, referred to in your issue dated August 6, in my view it is wrong to limit any operator as regards the amount of business he may do if the work be available. What would the bakers say if a baker was fined for selling too many cakes?
In fact, the whole system of licences is unsatisfactory. Why not let anybody go anywhere at any time, or would that put too many bureaucrats out of office?
Nuneaton. G. W. POWELL.
Hiring Rates for Goods Vehicles
E are contemplating the hire of a 7-ton oil-engined lorry and a 30-cwt. petrol vehicle and would be glad if you would give us some indication of the hire rates for these on a mileage basis.
London, W.1. F.T.J.
[I would suggest that the following figures would apply in your case:—
Miles per week: 300 400 500 600 s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d.
7-ton oiler ... 2 3 I 11+ 1 gi 1 71 30-cwt. petrol .„ 1 6 I 31.1 II 1 Of —S.T.R.]