Road Transport Activities
Page 65
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
THE SEARCH FOR OIL IN BRITAIN.
THE Secretary for Mines, Mr. E. Brown, in reply to a _question by Sir Nairn Stewart Sandennan, said hz. was not aware of the existence of any general report by S. Pearson and Sons, Ltd., which concern carried out the drilling operations on behalf of the Government in search of oil in this country. An account of the work done was given in the first and second annual reports of the Secretary for Mines. The total cost to the Exchequer of the work carried out was about £570,000.
Sir N. Stewart Sanderman asked whether it was not a fact that the report made out that there was practically no oil in the country at all. Mr. Brown said the report did not bear out what the hon. member said.
TAXATION WEIGHT OF LIFT VANS.
A AR. CAPORN called the attention liflof the Minister to the fact that licensing authorities, when issuing Excise licences for commercial goods motor vehicles used occasionally with a container or lift van, did not adopt a uniform system of calculating the weight of the vehicle.
Mr. Stanley said that whether the weight of a particular container should be included (under Section 26 of the Road Traffic Act) was a question for decision by the licensing authority. He had no power to interpret the statute or to give instructions to the licensing authorities.
ROAD-FUND ALLOCATIONS FOR BRIDGES.
P AR. STANLEY stated that in 19321V133, when circumstances were exceptional, there was no special allocation from the Road Fund for reconditioning weak bridges in railway, canal and other private ownership, but grants to the amount of £296,000 were made or promised towards expenditure incurred by highway authorities on such work and on bridging level-crossings. In the current year (1933-34) a sum of £415,000 was allocated to these purposes, and the grants already made or rromised out of this allocation amounted to approximately £396,000. He expected that the remainder would be applied to particular schemes before the close of the year,
There was no separate provision for the reconstruction of bridges owned by highway authorities. Grants to work of this character were made out of the general allocation, and bridge work was often included in schemes for the improvement of roads or the construction of new roads. Considerable labour would be involved in examining approved schemes in order to ascertain how much of the expenditure related specifically to bridges and how much to incidental work.
Mr. Chorlton suggested that, with a view to accelerating the replacement of weak bridges over railways, and in view of the employment involved, the Minister might come to some special arrangements with the companies concerned.
MINISTER'S STATEMENT.
1A'. STANLEY said he was anxious lifithat the work of strengthening and reconstructing weak bridges should proceed as rapidly as possible, and he had taken steps to facilitate the working out of the necessary programmes between the owners of these bridges and the responsible highway authorities.
He had also made it clear that he was prepared to contribute grants of 75 per cent, of the cost of such works so that all parties were aware of the maximum assistance which could be expected from the Road Fund.
TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND LEFTHAND FILTRATION.
ASUGGESTION was made by Mr. Summersby that in order to reduce traffic congestion the Minister should increase the number of places where traffic, controlled by light signals, might filter to the left when the road was free.
Mr. Stanley stated that the Departmental Committee on Traffic Signs advised that left-hand filtration should not normally be allowed because it was dangerous to pedestrians. He shared that view. Mr. Stanley emphasized the importance of considering pedestrians in any traffic-control scheme.
ROAD SAFETY FILMS.
THE Earl of Cottenham is to ask the Government what progress has been made in the preparation of the cinema films for propaganda on the subject of-road safety.
EALING ROAD BRIDGE.
AGRANT is to be issued at an early ate for the scheme of reconstruction of Ealing Road Bridge at Brentford.
MULTIPLICITY OF FORMS AND REGULATIONS.
COL. HEADLAM, having been asked by Mr. M'Keag how many different kinds of, form had been issued for completion by bus operators and others for various purposes under the Road Traffic Act, 1930, said there were 18 standard forms in use in connection with the licensing of public service vehicles, their drivers and conductors and road passenger services under Part IV of the Road Traffic Act, 1930. Special forms were used in London where certain of the standard forms became obsolete after the passing of the London Passenger Transport Act, 1933. He added that the question of forms was kept under constant review with the object of simplification and reduction in numbers.
In reply to a further question as to the number of statutory rules and orders, regulations and instrUction.s, Col. Headlam said there were 11 sets of rules and orders relating to public service vehicles, many of which had been amended from time to time to meet current developments. This figure omitted the Transitory Provisions Orders, since cancelled, and an Order since replaced by the London Passenger Transport Act, 1933. Regulations had also been made with regard to driving licences, third-party insurance risks, speed limits and traffic signs, and instructions issued as to statistical and financial returns under the Road Traffic Act.
INCREASEIN ROAD ACCIDENTS IN 1933.
THE return of accidents caused by vehicles and horses in Great Britain in the year 1933 has been issued. In England and Wales the number of persons killed was 6,498 and in Scotland 704, the number of injured being 198,539 and 17,789 respectively. The total for Great Britain was thus 7,202 killed and 216,328 injured, compared with 6,667 and 206,450 respectively in 1932.
The numbers of persons killed and injured and the vehicles to which the accidents were attributed are classified as follow:—Motorbuses and coaches, 566 deaths and 9,690 injuries ; tramcars and trolleybuses, 109 and 4,297 ; motorcycles with sidecars, 221 and 7,458 ; solo motorcycles with pillion passengers, 551 and 12,798 ; solo motorcycles without pillion passengers, 940 and 27,186 ; private cars, '2,167 and 72,378 ; cabs, 74 and 2,146 ; motor-vans, lorries, etc., 1,438 and 28,950 ; horse-drawn vehicles, 96 and 3,229 ; horses ridden and led, 11 and 223 ; pedal cycles, 1,029 and 47,973.