Peak Hour Clearways
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Mr. Marples Replies to T.R.T.A.
MR. ERNEST MARPLES, Minister of Transport, has explained his ideas O'n peak hour clearways for London in letters to the Traders Road Transport Association and other organizations which have asked for further clarification of his plans.
The T.R.T.A. had expressed anxiety at the prospect of 90 miles of roads in Central London being designated as peak hour clearways. The Minister, in his letter to the Association, explains that this is a misunderstanding of his statement in the debate on the second reading of the Hyde Park Bill, The Minister said that he was looking at the possibility of improving traffic conditions on 50 mites of main roads within about two miles of Charing Cross. He hoped to do this by such means as the Tottenham Court Road/Gower Street one-way scheme. In addition, he intended having 40 miles of radial roads, linking Central London with the main routes farther out, examined for possible peak hour clearway treatment. He had since decided to increase this programme to about 60 miles of radial roads. Before he finally settled any of these plans, he would take proper account of the interests of traders and distributors.
The Minister says he appreciates their concern about the cumulative effect of such schemes, but adds that he does not think that the information so far produced supports the T.R.T.A. prediction that what he has in mind will "heavily increase costs and decrease standards of service to the consuming public."
The number of shops on peak hour clearikays, says Mr. Marples, must obviously be relatively small compared to the total number in London, and the number selling perishable goods must be much smaller. Not all would need deliveries in peak hours; and the needs of those which did would be met in many cases by the reservation of loading space in side streets or, where possible, by loading bays.
Quicker Deliveries Deliveries to shops from side streets might cause inconvenience but was not impossible, and it should not add greatly to costs. On the other hand, freer movement of traffic should help to reduce costs, since commercial vehicles, no less than others, will be able to move more quickly between delivery points. Unloading outside peak hours would also be easier.
In a letter' to another association, the Minister makes the point that every experimental clearway scheme will be on a trial basis and judged on its individual merits.