FACTORS IN CO-ORDINATING ROAD TRANSPORT.
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The Institute of Transport Learns the Views of Mr. Shrapnell-Smith on a Complicated Question of Economics.
THE FIIIST PAPER of the nevi, session of the Institute of Transport, read at the ordinary meeting of the Institute on Monday of last week, dealt with the "Economics and Co-ordination of Transport by Road," the author being Mr. E. S. Shrapnell-Smith, C.B.E., a member of the council.
He asserted toat, despite the elimination of much .pre-war overlapping and duplication of facilities, there still remains a proportion of waste effort and redundant _service throughout many branches of the internal communications of the country. This proportion should not increase. Material economies have been effected by the managements of railway undertakings, and others are foreshadowed to them in the matter of groups and zones, whilst on the performance side abnormal conditions in respect of permanent way and rolling stock are of temporary bad effect. The railways are undoubtedly being blamed by the commercial community at the present time without fair allowances being madefor the direct handicaps under which they continue to be worked as the result of the war, and not a few incorreet inferences concerning presumed new fields fortransport by road have been and Are being based upon the false prendse of the indefinite continuation of these handicaps. Responsible and experienced members of the road transport industry are themselves under no delusions when they hear • novices advancing schemes and suggestions for the wholesale transference to the highways of coal or other mineral traffic, or on any general scale of productS and commodities
falling in classes A, B, or C of the railway clearing house classification.
The author dealt with the new aspect of theproblem of laying down branch railways, and the respective advantages of road services in place thereof. He said that it would appear, generally speaking, that one motorbus amply serves each 200 inhabitants who have reasonable access to each mile of road -along which the motorbus: is operated, whilst One four-ton lorry can deal fully with the freight presented for Cartage to and from the same unit of population bn those who do not own their own vehicles. Motor road transportcan thus provide an alternative to the extension of railway lines. The vital point is how best to introduce, extend, and encourage it. The capital values of the railway systems and high-way systems of the country are, for all practical purposes, equal to one another. Their uses should ho complementary, and not in any sense mutually destructive.
With regard to the controversy, "tramcar or, 'motorbus" for public passenger conveyance, it was pointed out that the element of lack of continuity of tramcar track cannot be overcome as a whole, and the future of the motorbus Appears to be solidly assured on this ground, amongst others. The first appendix containing data concerning the highest recorded numbers of passenger seats per hour in one direction provided in gage carriages passing along the British highway is reproduced at the foot hereof, and shows that the tiatnacar service at Manchester (the point selected being Market Street), carries the highest number of passengers, whilst the average length of roadway occupied per 1,000 seats _ per hour is not unreasonably high. Liverpool, however, is better in this respect of roadway occupation.
improvement mprovement effected in London by the introduction of the K type, and now by the S type bus' is shown in the improved carrying capacity and in the enormous redaction in -road occupation. The author asserted that many of the breaches of the rule Of economics, that no service is, of benefit to the community.if it exacts more than it renders, are avoidable in respect of transport by road. There is a lingering inclination to adhere to a doctrinaire course. The elimination of undue competition is desirable, but there must be regard for degree. If the competition of transport by road, as now revived by reason. of the remarkable improvement in the manufacture and working of motor vehicles, is to take place with a total disregard for the changed circumstances of business and social conditions consequent upon the war, those who are responsible for shaping the policy of owners of motor transport equipment in this country will be guilty of a grave act of injustice to their industry and the public at large. The author went on to deal with the question of the total return to the community made by road transport as compared with the total demahd upon it for new contributions to road construction, improvement, and maintenance, and he gave certain statistics,
i which are set out n Appendix II, to throw some light upon the controversy as to the superior appropriateness of road or rail service in relation to the diwct levies upon the undertakings. Amongst these data are the contributions in rates paid by the railway Companies and the direct contributions of motor owners to highway expenditure. The figures set out in Appendix II show that, while the railway coin
pathos pay, approximately,. 61 per cent, of the local rates, the motor owners were paying up to 11 per cent. of the total cost of road L maintenance andimprovement. He assorted that the railway companies of the country do not pay a disproportionate figure by way of contribution to local rates, having regard to the importance to them of the services rendered by local' authorities, and he said that, without highways, for example, more than three-quarters of the revenue of the railways of the country muss cease. Direct. comparisons -between rates and charges are in many cases no real guide to satisfaction of trading and public requirements, unless they be read in conjunction with proper assessments of values for the. factors of time and convenience. There are many classes of transport in which neither of these factors is of much account, yet it was these very -factors of time and cc.nvenience which enabled the railways, following their wide extensbn in this country 70 or more years ago, practically to oust barge traffic from the canal systems and coach traffic from the highWays. It would appear, as one. outcome in the cycle of later events, that the railway undertakings of the country must now either be so administered and brought to so high a, state of efficiency as to excel in performance measured by these factors as well as the factor
performance, costs, the best that can be done on the highway, or must be prepared to an extent to give place to and recognize the newer system. Only on proved merit and performance can railways beat the road motors ; railway Manager's cannot expect to find the community ranged behind themon any ground other than the best service at. the lowest cost. So far as I know them, they do not. There can be no general ruling or law in this matter of the best choice. Each case, not each class, Inust be examined and decided on its merits.