Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
Administration of the Road Traffic Act.
THE following motion has been placed on the notice paper of the House of Commons by Mr. LlewellynJones: "Thiit, in the opinion of this House, having regard (a) to the increasing number of fatal and other serious accidents resulting from motor traffic on the roads of this country, and (b) to the fact that there is reason to think that the provisions of Part II of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, dealing with the insurance of motor vehicles against third-party risks are being contravened, either deliberately or in ignorance, it is desirable that a parliamentary committee should be appointed to inquire fully into the administration of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, and the best means for ensuring greater safety on the road."
Uncontrolled Pedestrians.
SIR W. DAVISON having. pointed out that drivers of Motorcars were fined if they drove on when there was a, red light against them, but no proceedings were taken against pedestrians who crossed the road ender similar circumstances, Mr. Stanley said the primary purpose of light signals was to control vehicular traffic which was bound by law to obey them. He did not think that it would at present be practicable to impose a corresponding obligation en pedestrians. At rood junctions controlled by light signals pedestrians should be guided by the movement of vehicles and not solely by the indications given by the signals.
Traffic Noises.
0 IR W. DAVISON called the at-teak-3 tion of the Minister of Transport to a recent order made by the Prefect of Police in Paris forbidding the sounding of horns or sirens by motor drivers between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 mm., and suggested that similar regulations should he made in this
country. Mr. Stanley said he was aware of the Order and was considering at the present time whether it would be practicable and desirable to institute a scheme of this nature in a defined area in London for an experimental period. Mr. Lawson asked the Minister to consider factory hooters which disturbed people between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Accidents and Insurance. THE question of inability to recover damages for accidents where insurance companies have repudiated liability on various grounds was raised by Mrs. Copeland, and the Minister of Transport said he was aware that in some cases injured persons were unable to recover damages owing to the repudiation of liability of insurance companies. An insurance policy was a
contract of indemnity between the insurance company and the insured, and misrepresentation or the withholding of material information when a proposal for insurance was made was liable to render void a policy so obtained. The question of further legislation on this and on other points connected with the insurance against third-party risks required of owners of motor vehicles was receiving his consideration, but tho problem presented many difficulties.
Emergency Treatment Bill.
THE House of Lords on Tuesday gave a second reading to Lord Moynihan's Road Traffic (Emergency Treatment) Bill, despite an explicit assurance on the part of the Government lmembers that they woull not accept any kind of responsibility for it, and that they could not undertake to provide facilities for its passage if and when it reached the House of Commons.
It was urged by the Earl of Plymouth, the Government spokesman, that so far as the principle of the Bill was concerned the main objection to it remained unaffected by the alterations made by the Select Committee. That objection was that the Bill ran counter to established principles of Common Law and that it would, in fact, fasten liability on a man in respect of an accident for which he might not be in the slightest degree responsible. Lord Moynihan, expressing his disappointment at the Government attitude, declared that he did not care where the money came from to pay the doctors' fees and that if it were drawn from the Road Fund no one would be better pleased than himself.
Road Safety Debate.
THERE was a general debate oit Tuesday in the House of Lords on Viscount Buckrnaster's motion urging that immediate steps be taken to lessen the danger of motor traffic. The debate followed lines made familiar by recent discussions in their LordshiPs' House. Earl Howe urged that pedestrians should be put under some form of control.
The Earl of Plymouth, affirming the Government's determination to grapple with the problem, declared that it refused to be rushed into any panic action or legislation. As to the suggestion made by several noble lords that the speed limit should be restored, Lord Plymouth said it was quite possible that the analysis which had resulted from the investigation made by the Ministry of Transport would throw some light on the question whether this would be an effective way of reducing accidents in thickly populated areas.
Commercial and Private Aeroplanes.
0 IR P. BASSOON has supplied the )..-/following table regarding the ambers and horse-power of British aeroplanes compared with those of France, U.S.A., Italy, and Germany as at December 31, 1932:— Clearing Customs.
TR. WHITESIDE desired to know ANL whether, in view of the Air Ministry Order of November in regard to machines entering the Croydon zone, the Air Minister would take steps to obviate the necessity of pilots having to clear Customs when landing to receive their navigation orders. Sir P. Sassoon said the bon. member had in mind aircraft arriving from abroad. In such cases the landing would normally be made at Lympne, which was itself a customs aerodrome. In the rare case when a landing was made elsewhere by an aircraft not equipped with radio, customs clearance would be dispensed with if the pilot reported his arrival to a police constable. The latter was authorized to allow aircraft to proceed to Croydon or other customs airport, provided no passengers were landed for their destination and no goods or animals were unloaded.
Air-mail Services T"question of the delay in extending the British air service to Australia having been raised, Sir P. Sassoon stated that the extension from Karachi to Singapore should be in operation before the end of this year. He understood that the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, which was responsible for the extension onwards, had invited tenders for the service between Singapore and Australia, which were returnable in January next. He added that the maximum speeds of the fastest mail-carrying aircraft on British, American and Dutch regular air services were 150, 215 and 186 m.p.h. respectively. Another statement by the Under-Secretary was that the question of an extension of a British air route to the Far East, as far as Hong, Kong, was under active Consideration.