ROAD REQUIREMENTS FOR MODERN TRAFFIC.
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The Need for a Thorough Re-instatement of Read Surfaces, the Cost Thereof and the Obligations on Manufacturers and Users of Vehicles.
By H. T. Chapman, M.Inst.C.E., County Surveyor of Kent.
IT IS NOW becoming universally admitted that the provision of cheap transit of goods and passengers can be, and is an asset of enormous value in national life, and that any labour and capital ex
pended in this direction is amply repaid. It is wrong to assume, as so many people do, that, by reducing the cost of carriage, only those who, are immediately concerned with that reduction can benefit. As a matter of fact, a reduction in the cost of carriage on any one article of consumption provides an advauta.ge.to the whole community. In the complex state of civilized life any one factor must react on many others.
It is now fully recognized thatito•an.enormous extent the well-organized transport of men, munitions and supplies, providing for rapidity of movement, largely assisted in winning the war, and it is safe to say that, in a like manner, the future prosperity of the country depends upon rapid, adequate and economical movement in the supply of the various requirements.
It is cniite possible that, for some years yet, for long-distance carriage of goods our railways will offer advantages, but there is no question that for journeys up to, say, 50 miles, and, on occasions, for longer distances road transport is greatly the superior, but in order io secure that superiority and for the development of the traffic, it is essential that our roads are brought up-to-date and are maintained at the requisite standard of excellence. Until within recent.years, the question of current and prospective traffic did not receive adequate consideration from those who were responsible for the maintenance of the roads and, generally speaking, there was a, tendency to adopt similar methods of con struction, irrespective of the type and volume of truffle which was passing over different roads. Somehow, like Topsy, the greater number of our roadsoiristead of being made, grew up. Many of them are simply glorified tracks which originally followed the line of least resistance, avoiding soft ground, water and other obstructions, the consequence of this is seen in their tortuous character and in the existence of so many twists and turns.
Faulty Road-making Methods in The Past.
Our methods of making the road surfaces in the past were bad, for many will recollect the days when the traffic was expected to consolidate the material used in repairs, obstructions being purposely placed
• on the roads to compel vehicles to run over and grind in the stone and flints. The writer can recall the time when his most skilful roadmen were those who could patch and rut a road in such a manner that traffic could not avoid the loose stone used in repair. Nowadays, we have to adopt different methods, and, first, the bicycle and, afterwards, the motor vehicle have been instrumental in bringing this state of affairs about. We have also to thank the cyclist and the motor user, more particularly the latter, for the adoption of surface tarring and, subsequently, the use of bituminous surfacing, first initiated for the mitigation of dust, and now employed for maintenance purposes. Although conditions have been enormously altered during the last 15 years, both in regard to the type and volume of traffic and in the construction and repair of roads, it is not going too far to say that sufficient regard is, even yet, not given to the requirements of traffic generally. The war has taught surveyors and, it is to be hoped, their councils also, that capita) value expended in
the proper manner in roads is a good investment; although, to use An Irishism, the cheapest road in the end may prove to be the dearest. The alignment, foundation, gradient and width, the camber and the surfacing of roads still need improvement and development, whilst there is the greatest need for more care in the adaptation of roads in these respects when they are being altered to suit the requirements of modern traffic.
Factors in the Provision of Good Roads.
it is not possible, in a short article such as this, to enter into technical details or to discuss the cornParative merits of various classes of road surfacing, but certain factors can be mentioned as being essential for the provision of good roads.
There must be adequate and stable foundations and lateral support, with suitable subsoil and surface water drainage, impervious surface, and a certain amount of resiliency without this particular attribute being overdone. For heavy (taking into consideration volume and weight) rubber and steel tyred traffic, about the most suitable surface is that provided by a creosoted wood block paving on concrete and, prior to the war, this kind of surface was not too expensive. It is improbable, however, that the use of this class of road can be greatly extended for many years to come, owing to the shortage of timber and to the demand for it in other directions.
Granite sett paving on concrete may be raore durable than wood and, perhaps, cheaper in the long run for intense traffic of all descriptions, but vehicles having steel tyres, such as heavy motor vehicles and traction en-1 Rifles, cause considerable damage to this class of road, and it provides a. surface. which, especially on gradients, offers a tendency to skidding.
Natural asphalt surfacing on concrete, as laid in many of the roads in Metropolis, etropolis is perhaps the most satisfactory surfacing for all types of traffic, but its cost is prohibitive for general use. A bituminous surfacing commonly termed "carpeting," consisting of a mixture of fluxed natural asphalt, Or
petroleum residual, about in. thick, i laid hot on a, base coarse (about 4 ns, thick)._ of coarser material, and then treated with bitumen or pitch and tar l makes an ideal roadway for all classes of traffic, and one which can be laid at'reasonable cost. and, so soon as the bitumen and flux oil can again be obtained at normal or nearly normal prices, the use of this type of surfacing will be greatly extended. I venture to Say that, but for the war, we should by this time have had something like 100 miles of "carpeting " in the -county of Kent.
Tar macadam is &so quite suitable for general traffic, but it needs careful attention for years in the way of surface dressing. A concrete base and surfacing combined is extensively adopted in America and might prove to be suitable in certain circumstances in this country, but the writer is of the opinion that what would better suit all types of modern traffic would be a more resilient roadway.
Waterbound granite or other macadam is only suitable for very moderate traffic, and will, before long, like the horse, be superseded except on what may he termed by-roads. It is now recognized that former methods of tinkering and "carrying on" in the old way must be aban. cloned, and that the work of road repair and maintenance must be carried out on more scientific and systematic lines, the road authorities being required to move with the times.
The Cost of Making Up the Leeway.
There are 150,000 miles of roads in this country, and it is estimated that something like £70,000,000 sterling will be required to reconstruct, strengthen, improve and repair them in order to make up the leeway lost during the war, and to bring them up to the Standard that will be necessary for them to be suitable for the traffic that is shortly expected tobe put upon them.
No practical solution has yet. been offered as to the method of providing this amount of money, or whatever other sum may be required, although it is frequently suggested that the money should be obtained from the Imperial Exchequer, but, whatever department or authority disburses the money that has to be expended, it has to be provided by the citizen. The burden, however, if that is the correct term to apply to it, should be distributed as equitably as possible. The writer does not agree that. only those who own and run vehicles should pay the piper, although they should certainly, in many cases, contribute in a greater ratio than other road users, but as has already
been said at the commencement of this article, everyone benefits from economical transport.. There is, however, a very serious obligation lying upon manufacturers and users in regard to the supply of vehicles which are put upon the road. Everyone may have the right`of use of the King's highway, -but no one should be permitted to abuse this right to the detriment of their fellow men, financially or otherwise.
The Need for Improvement in 'Vehicles.
The writer contends that there is urgent and pressing need for some amendment in the design and constructionof steam and petrol driven vehicles in respect of weight and the distribution of axle loads, and also in the matter of width and type of tyres (this, by the way, also applies to horse-drawn vehicles) and the diameter of the wheels, and in respect of the speeds of the vehicles in relation to these other factors.
One hesitates to suggest the appointment of additional committees, after the experiences that we have had of some of those created during recent years, but it seems that. it would be to the mutual advantage of all concerned if representatives of manufacturers and users of vehicles and of those responsible for our roads could meet and confer, and it. is highly probable that some useful conclusions might be adduced, resulting in advantageous alterations . to existing methods and the ways of doing things.