MR. MARPLES ATTENDS ROADSIDE SMOKE CHECK
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MPHASIZING his concern about the .1-a problem of smoking vehicles, the Minister of Transport personally attended a roadside check on goods vehicles jUst north of Apex Corner on Al last Friday morning, to which the national and trade Press were invited. Because of the exceptional conditions and activity then applying at this particular check point, any figures as to the proportion of " smokers " would be unrepresentative. But at a similar check at the same point the previous week, without the attendant publicity, of 341 vehicles noted approximately half were recorded as "smokers ".
As shown in the table, in five country-wide smoke checks taken during the period May. 1962, to September. 1963, 133.593 diesel-engined vehicles were observed, of which 15,484 were considered to be emitting too much smoke. Of the prohibition notices issued 270 (almost exactly 2 per cent of the total number of vehicles observed) were effec c4 tive immediately and 7,009 were delayed notices.
Whilst the Hartridge Smokemeter is used at such smoke checks, including the one on Al last Friday, in conversation with a representative of The Commercial Motor a spokesman for the Ministry agreed that the personal judgment of the officer concerned was the determining factor as to whether a particular vehicle was considered a bad " smoker ". Despite the efforts and experience in this matter over the past two years, the problem of
devising readily quantifiable standards lc smoke checks was proving even mar difficult than for noise.
In this context, however, there is th distinction between the issue of prohib lions on the use of a vehicle or excessiv smoking purely on the expert but pei sonal opinion of a certifying officer c examiner and police action. In the latte case, action will presumably be take under the Motor Vehicles (Constructio and Use) Regulations, 1963. Si