New Road Plan an"Amazing Deception"

8th November 1935, Page 118

8th November 1935

Page 118

Page 118, 8th November 1935 — New Road Plan an"Amazing Deception"

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Keywords : Road

" QNE of the most amazing pieces of of deception ever perpetrated,", is the view expressed on behalf of Associated Road Operators, by Mr, R. W. Sewill, national director, in cOnriection with the Chancellor of the Exchequer's five-year plan for national road reconstruction, at a cost of £100,000,000.. " Actually," says Mr. Sewill, " what he (the Chancellor) proposes to do is to allocate the inadequate sum of £20,000,000 per annum out of the colossal total of £70,000,000 per annum. raised from motorists, all of which amount was pledged to be used on the roads."

The schemes of 1,350 local authorities have to be approved, and, even then, no central authority exists for co-ordinating these projects to ensure uniform width, camber and surfacing on trunk roads. There are 23 different types of surface between London and Birmingham; a distanee of 110 miles.

" In addition," continues Mr. Sewill, " the bulk of the money for road construction and maintenance will still come from the pockets of the ratepayers, who rightly contend that they should not be called upon to finance the main trunk system. If the Chancellor intends to do something really worth while for the roads and road users (which it is quite obvious he does not), why does he not allocate the proceeds from the special taxation of motor users to the purpose for which it was first raised, and relieve the ratepayers of this intolerable burden? "

New Road Plan an"Amazing Deception"

Page 118

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