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Road Transport Topics
Page 93
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In Parliament
By our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
WARNING OF PROSECUTION WITHIN 14 DAYS.
IN theHouse of Commons, Vice Admiral Taylor asked the Home Secretary whether he was aware that 10 lorry drivers were summoned at Nuneaton on January 7, 1935, for exceeding a speed limit, and that the provisions of Section 21 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, which stipulated that a summons should be issued within a fortnight from the date of the occurrence were not complied with. He requested that the necessary steps should be taken to ensure that this section of the Act was carried out Sir John Gilmour pointed out that the service of a summons within 14 days of the commission of the alleged offence was not essential and that it was sufficient if the defendant were warned, at the time of offence, that the question of prosecution would be considered, or if, within 14 days, the defendant were given proper notice of the intended prosecution.
Vice-Admiral Taylor said he was • raising the question that they did not • receive their summonses within 14 days, because he understood that none of these men had been stopped and warned at the time. Sir John Gilmour replied that he would be glad to have detailed information on the subject.
OBSTRUCTION BY STATIONARY VEHICLES.
ESTRICTION of "the use of IN-public thoroughfares as storageplaces for stationary motor vehicles," having been urged by Sir• Park Goff, Mr. Hore-Belisha said he was in sympathy with the view that the object of the highway was to provide a free passage for traffia: The question of police action was a matter for the Home Secretary. It was the practice of the police to intervene where obstruction or danger was likely to arise.
SAFETY GLASS SUGGESTED FOR SIDE WINDOWS.
A TTENTION having been called by tASir W. Davison to a collision between two bases in Borough High Street whereby a number of passengers were injured by broken glass, Mr. HereBelisha explained that passenger
• vehicles registered after January 1, • 1932, must have safety glass in the windscreens and windows, facing to the front, except those of the upper deck. The two vehicles involved were registered before January 1, 1932.
Sir W. Davison maintained that something should be done to have unbreakable glass fitted in public-servicevehicles registered before that date, and Mr. Leonard expressed surprise that the lower deck of a double-deck bus did not require to. have safety glass in the side windthvi. ALCOHOL NOT THE CAUSE OF FATAL ACCIDENTS.
TZmeet representations with regard alcohol as an element in the causes of road accidents, Mr. HoreBelisha intends to invite the British Medical Association to say whether it could usefully make any observations on this subject. Mr. Guy suggested that an appropriate warning should be inserted in the Highway Code.
The Home Secretary afterwards indicated the procedure followed in order to ascertain whether drivers of vehicles in road accidents were under the influence of alcohol.
Mr. H. Williams remarked that the. report on fatal accidents in 1933 revealed the fact that 99 per cent. of the accidents were due to people who were sober.
ILLUMINATION OF PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS.
FURTHER information was sought from the Minister 'of Transport regarding the provision of pedestrian crossing-places, Mr. Parkinson, a former Secretary to the Ministry, suggesting that some form of lighting should be used. Mr. Hore-Belisha said he was prepared to consider proposals put forward by local authorities for the internal illumination of beacons, but in many cases the first question for consideration would be whether the street lighting should not be improved.
HARDSHIP THROUGH LACK OF TRAVEL FACILITIES.
HICKS asked the Minister of 1Y1Transport whether he was aware of the hardship to WOrkpeople caused by police interpretation of Section 25 of the 'Road Traffic Act, which became operative on December 1, 1934, and that thousands of workpeople in NorthWest Kent (including PIumstead) and South Essex were suffering from these decisions, and whether, in view of the absence of any travel facilities in these rapidly growing areas, he would take steps to ensure the continuance of travel facilities' until the transport authorities were able to deal with this urgent demand.
Major G. Davies, on behalf of the Minister, replied that presumably Mr. Hicks referred to the use of certain vehicles of the private-car type by farepaying passengers without publicservice-vehicle or road-service licences. He pointed out that the Road Traffic Act, 1930, required that vehicles used for carrying passengers for hire or reward at separate fares should be operated only if they were licensed as safe and suitable vehicles for such a purpose and the service were authorized by a road-service licence. The section of the 1934 Act, referred to, related to the use of vehicles for the carriage of private .parties on special occasions. Representations as to the need fer additional services in this district should be made to the London Passenger Transport Board, Mr. Hicks explained that there had been, for a considerable time, contracts arranged between private companies and workers as to the traffic facilities, but the police, by their interpretation of the Act, had cut off the whole of them. Until the Transport Board was able to provide these facilities, he asked, would the Ministry allow the present arrangements to continue? Major Davies promised to Convey the question to the Minister.
EXPERIMENTAL BRIDGES AT ROAD JUNCTIONS.
THE Minister of Transport was asked
by Mr. Louis Smith to consider, as a means for relieving unemployment, experimenting, in two or three places in the country, with the construction of overhead bridges or underground tunnels at ultra-important cross-roads, with the object of showing whether they, could be generally adopted. Mr. Hore-Belisha said he had already given approval in principle to a scheme for a cross-over junction and would be glad to 'receive other proposals from responsible highway authorities.
LEGIBILITY OF TAXIMETER DIALS CRITICIZED.
iT was suggested by Vice-Admiral Sir M. Sueter that the Home Secretary should seek an explanation from the Metropolitan Licensing Authorities, why they still continued to allow the use of taxicab fare-meters, having black dials with illegible: numerals, working in apertures too small to allowthem. to be easily read by arti
ficial light s •
Sir John, Gilmour replied that the Commissioner of " Police of the Metropolis had informed him that, in his view, the 'meters.'Were satisfactory if properly illuminated and that every 'effort had been made to see that adequate illumination was provided. During 1934 11 cases of failing to observe the requirement, in this respect, were reported for. proceedings. In 329 other cases, as a result of inspection, notice was given that the cabs were not to apply for hire until an improvement had been effected."
Sir Sir A. M. Samuel asked what the objection would best° licensing authorities asking the' manufacturers to make the dials slightly bigger and more legible, but no reply was given.
FORTH ROAD BRIDGE—SURVEY COMPLETED.
THE consulting engineers, under the
proposed scheme for .a road bridge across the Forth it Rosyth, have made the survey, but their report is awaiting the completion of borings, work upon Whith is being startedforthwith.