No Tickets for Obstruction at First
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MO tickets are at first to be served for
obstruction when the Road Traffic Bill begins to operate in the autumn. Lord . Chesharn, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, gave this assurance to the House of Lords on Monday, writes our Parliamentary Correspondent.
He said that the Rome Secretary did not intend at the outset to empower wardens to serve tickets for obstruction. Constables would be able to do so, but he understood that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner did not intend to instruct them to do so in the early stages.
The law on obstruction may be further clarified before the Lords finish with the Bill. Lord Lucas of Chillworth moved an amendment to make it an offence to leave a vehicle otherwise than with the near side as close as possible to the edge of the carriageway.
Lord Chesham gave an undertaking that this would be carefully considered. Lord Lucas withdrew his amendment but reserved the right to reintroduce it later.
The Lords on Monday also gave a second reading to the Road Traffic Amendment Bill. This enables holders of full driving licences in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands to exchange them for licences issued in Great Britain without having to take a further test.
The Minister of Transport's refusal to allow tankers to go up to 28 tons because of weak bridges will not escape the notice of M.P.s. They will ask whether there has been no progress in methods of strengthening bridges_ It cannot be beyond the wit of British engineering to devise something easy to erect that would put an end to this problem-28 tons is, after all, no great weight.
Preparatory work on the by-pass around Newport is proceeding as quickly as possible, the Minister told Mr. G. Thomas (Lab., Cardiff West), but he could not yet say when constructional work could begin.
Good progresS had been made in the international talks on direction indicators, he told Mr. E. Johnson (Cons., Blackley). The Minister did not propose at this stage to make the fitting of direction indicators compulsory.
MINISTER TO OPEN SHOW
THE 1960 Commercial Motor Show will L be opened on Friday, September 23, by Mr. Ernest Marples. the Minister of Transport, it was announced by the Society of Motor Manufacturer's and Traders, last week.