Road Transport Topics
Page 50
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In Parliament
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
GLASGOW BUYING RUSSIAN PETROL?
SEVERAL Members of Parliament called attention in the House of Commons last week to the placing of a contract by Glasgow Corporation with Russian Oil Products, Ltd., for 3,000,000 gallons of petrol for use by the Corporation Transport and other undertakings.
Sir Godfrey Collins said he understood that it had been resolved by Glasgow Corporation to place a contract, but arrangements on such matters by local authorities'were not subject to his control. On the information before him he did not think that the circumstances warranted his asking Parliament to take steps to enable him to institute an investigation. He was, however, making further inquiries.
CONSPICUOUS ERECTION OF SPEED LIMIT SIGNS.
REGARDING the Speed Limit Provisional Regulations, Sir W. Brass asked what part or parts of the signs were to be fitted with reflectors. Mr. Hore-Belisha said that either the figures and the surrounding ring might be fitted with reflectors, or the whole face of the sign, with the exception of the figure 30, might be made to reflect light,
Mr. Turton asked the Minister whether he was aware that many of the small signs, denoting the end of the speed limit, were being placed on existing lamp-posts and were thus more difficult to distinguish, and whether he would secure that all signs, denoting the beginning or end of the speed limit, were either placed upon existing traffic signs or upon standards specially erected and conspicuously marked for that purpose. Mr. }loreBelisha said he would cortsider these suggestions if difficulties were found to arise in practice.
MOTION TO ANNUL SPEED-LIMIT SIGN REGULATIONS.
SCIR W. BRASS moved an address to Majesty, praying that the Traffic Signs (Speed Limit) Provisional Regulations 1935 be annulled. He took objection chiefly to the design of the de-restriction sign being only 8 ins. compared with 18 ins, for the sign marking the entrance to a built-up area. He objected to the colour of black and white, and took exception to the procedure of bringing regulations into force under the emergency provisions of the Rules Publication Act of 1893, instead of allowing the regulations to lie on the Table for 28 days under the Act of 1930.
Mr. Hore-Belisha said it was unfortunate that the motion should have been made within a fortnight of the speed B36 limit coming into operation. The local authorities had placed their orders and manufacturers were turning out the signs, which, indeed, were being erected. He reminded the House that experienced technical experts and engineers had been engaged on the work of designing the signs.
the signs should prove unsatisfactory in practice, he would be willing then to consider criticism based
upon actual experience. The procedure be had adopted was legal and constitutional and, if the traffic signs were rejected, there would be the most utter confusion on March 18. The motion for an address was rejected by 88 votes to 58.
4,000 DE-RESTRICTION SIGNS AROUND LONDON.
HORE-BELISHA stated that 1V14,000 de-restriction signs, at an estimated cost of £1,700 would have to be exhibited on the by-pass roads, in and around London, on which he had decided the 30-m.p.h. limit should not apply. Sir W. Brass remarked that not a single sign had so far been put up on any of these roads. .
TWO IMPORTANT ROAD IMPROVEMENT SCHEMES.
THE Ministry of Transport is to snake ,a substantial grant from the Road Fund towards the cost, £95,000, of a by-pass and a new bridge over the railway, which West Sussex County Council proposes to construct to relieve the congestion in Crawley due principally to the level crossing on the London-Brighton road. Another grant has been made towards the construction of a roundabout at the junction of the Watford By-pass and the Watford-St. Albans road.
ROAD SAFETY SUGGESTIONS.
THE compulsory use of microphone. amplifiers on lorries, the use of tow-signs, and the painting of yellow lines to indicate an approach to a main road were suggested by Miss Ward.
Mr. Hore-Belisha replied that he had no evidence that the compulsory use of the first or second would reduce road accidents, whilst "Major Road Ahead" signs were already authorized. Sir W. .Brass pointed out that it was the law in France for all new lorries to carry these amplifiers at the back in order that the drivers might know when a car was about to overtake them.
The Minister of Transport said he had no evidence before him that it would restrict accidents in this coun try. If any evidence was brought before him he would be only too glad to consider it.
NUMBERS OF ROAD SERVICE LICENCES.
TIIE numbers of persons -carrying on the business of operating buses or coaches and owning not more than four such vehicles were, at the end of 1931, 5,310; at the end of 1932, 5,180, and at the end of 1933-4,800.
In supplying these figures the Minister informed Mr. Stourton that, before the passage of the Road Traffic Act of 1930, there was a distinct tendency towards the amalgamation and absorp
tion of small operators. Whilst the Act did not affect that tendency, the small operator had benefited, equally with the large operator, from the more stable condition created by the Act.
TRAFFIC LIGHTS INDISTINGUISHABLE IN SUNSHINE.
HAVING called attention to the difficulty in telling the colour registered by the traffic lights when the sun was shining straight on the glass colour faces, Captain Balfour suggested an auxiliary arm indicator to work in conjunction with the lights, as was done in America.
Mr. Hore-Belisha said that, if the Member would give him the localism of any installation where such difficulty arose, he would have the signals inspected at once. Captain Balfour replied that the difficulty could occur at almost any of the traffic lights under certain conditions in sunlight. If the Minister drove down the Great West Road, about mid-day on a bright sunny day, he would be unable to see whether the lights were registering amber, green or red unless he actually stopped the car.
There were, said Mr. Hare-Belisha, unfortunately difficulties in the way of complete success of any system, but he did not think this difficulty was so widespread as the Member thought.
ADVERTISING BY MOTOR VEHICLES.
I T was suggested by Mr. Hutchison that the Regulation for the prevention of the use of motor vehicles for the purpose of advertisement should be redrafted to make it dear that it applied only to vehicles which, by their special construction or operation, caused danger or obstruction. Mr. Hore-Belisha said the regulation provided that, in the area within three miles of Charing Cross and in certain specified important thoroughfares outside that area but within the Metropolitan Police District, no person should drive a vehicle either wholly or mainly for advertising purposes.
He was informed by the Commissioner of Police that proceedings were taken only when the vehicles appeared to be likely to he a source of danger or to cause obstruction to traffic.