RAILS OR ROADS?
Page 33
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The Railways' First Step in Their New Traffic-Monopoly Campaign, says "The Inspector," is Popularity with the Public.
SO• MUCH of our attention as road users, whether in a private or commereial capacity, is being given at the preseo chile to the great struggle which is now becoming so evidentbetween road and rail, that little, or no, apology is needed by the writer for venturing again to return to certain aspects of this . -subject in a few paragraphs in the issue of The Commercial Motor this week.
Taking a broad survey of the whole position, it , certainly is remarkable to record to what an extent the rail is being threatened, and in how many different directions. For example, it is surely not too much to claim that the light railway as such is practically finished. Some of them have been pulled up and practically no new ones are likely to be planned. There are several reasons for this, of course. The light railway has never been developed, as was originally intended when legislation was first introto facilitate its advancement, !hut its deathknell has undoubtedly been `sounded by the commercial motor vehicle.
Just at present, the struggle is becoming an intense one between the tramway and the motorbus. It has been going on for -some yearsr of course, but the motorbus is undoubtedly, fully at grips with the tramcar to-day. The former is no longer discussed in -Town Council chambers as a possible ultimate alternative to the beloved tramcar. In any discussion as to development or modification of municipal passengertraffic schemes, there is nowadays never wanting one or more enlightened members of the municipal authority who want " a little more information" on to the possibility of employing the self-propelled machine as an alternative. The tramway is no longer taken for granted, and but for the enormous capital interests involved, its further existence in all but a few exceptional cases would quickly be jeopardized.
Whilst considering this particular phase of the struggle between the road and the rail, it is difficult to avoid a little amusement which can be extracted from a letter that appeared in the last issue-of The Commercial Motor from the pen of an electrical engineer of manyyears' standing. We find him at full tilt against that rather absurd electrical compromise, the trolley-bus. He does not quarrel withit, however, for any of the same reasons that I have-for so long quarrelled with it. Ile is full of pity.qor thqso who may ultimately decide toe retain the internalcombustion engine ; he -visualizes a steel-clad network of -roadways throughout the country, all at the disposal of road traffic of every possible kind, drawing its motive power from a vast network of overhead trolley wires' or other similar structures. Save from our friends!
I shall not dare to quarrel with this gentleman's fanciful plans, but I must. iiermit myself to say that at present I cannot clearly foresee any great extension of trolley-wire entanglements anywhere in the country. They may perhaps be developed further for enclosed high-speed railway systems until some other method of transmitting eleetrical energy for moving objects is discovered, as it will undoubtedly be in the near future. But on the open road, open to all other kinds of traffic, the overhead trolley wire has developed, in the writer's opinion, so far as it will be permitted to do so.
I have written on several occasions, by the Editor's kind courtesy—and not necessarily, of coarse, with his approval—of my objections to the trolley-bus, and the present is not a suitable opportunity for reiterating these arguments at any length. Suffice it to say that I regard the absence of convincing financial statistics over a long period, :and taking into account all contribuiory circumstances, as a-doubtful factor. The relative rigidity of the system is against good road policy. There is nothing whatever which can be claimed for the trolley-bus that cannot he better -accomplished by the independent high-grade motorbus, unless it be possibly some claim to financial saving for already established electric stations and for electrical engineerswho are desirous of perpetuating electric traction in whatever form it can be made to masquerade.
The tramway is another example of the rail having to fight for existence, and the trolley-bus has been offered for 10 or 15 years past as a hybrid alternative masquerading as a self-propelled vehicle, but tied to its track with ungainly overhead equipment as -certainly as is the tramcar.
As I write, I learn of the decision of the railway authorities to reduce goods rates throughout the eountry to a. considerabIe.'extent. This is part of the same policy. The railways are out, for the time being, again to populhize themselves with the fare and the rate-payingi)ublio ; thia isthe first symptom of eorn_ petition. Railways are out to make red war on competing road traffic of that there is little doubt. They themselves intent! to develop it on a large scale for their own uses, but in the writer'sopinion, at the hack of such intention there is no desire to develop the roads, and their'use as such, but so to corner road traffic that as much of it as possible shall be forced back on to the rails. Definite evidence is already forthcoming that railway goods canvassers are not hesitating to use very strong arguments to those who suggest retaining road haulage arrangements. Threats of counter-action and loss of facilities are being already indulged in This will grow tremendously. The railway threat is a tremendous one to the industry.
The railways will ultimately obtain most of the powers for independent foul usage for which they are applying; even if they do not get them inthe original form, they will have them by subsidiary arrangements. The fight with the railways is coming; indeed, it has already started. It is therefore up to every-body, user, owner, driver, manufacturer, agent, any 'many other branches of the great commercialvehicle industry, to use every possible endeavour to ensure that the railways shall not have things their own way. Improverhent of types, _development of well,plinneel transport schemes, sound finance, the cutting-out of wild-cat transfer enterprises that will only result in defaming the movement, the pushing ahead of technical investigation and improvement of methods, co-ordination and coeopers..tion of, existing road interests, and above all deVirnairiation to be watchful as to the many moves that have already been initiated by the railway companieS to undermine the hold of the commercial user on the road—all these things count and are necessary. The writer regards with-considerable distrust a suggestion.thatis already afoot as to the desirability of eo-Operation between rail and. road users. As sure as eggs are eggs, this. is an invitation from the tiger to ride inside.
Tim INSPECTOR.