C. B. Nixon
Page 15
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Sweep Clean, New Broom!
THE Commercial vehicle Show provides a convenient date for the industry to indulge in a little inixospection, and to review what has been accomplished and what remains to be done. During the interval since the previous Show there has been endless discussion, but little improvement has been effected. Certain factors which prevent progress are, however, now standing out clearly and call urgently for redress.
What a glorious opportunity -is afforded our new Minister of Transport and his permanent officials in their new home to brush away the cobwebs, to tackle the problems , that exist, and to make history as the _Ministry which placed transport in this island on a sound modern footing. It may be worth while, therefore, to review briefly the requirements necessary for the well-being of the industry.
Anachronism . .
First and immediately., from every point of view, including safety, we want the anachronism of a speed limit based on tare weight replaced by a limit based on gross laden weight. We demand that at least all solo vehicles, not exceeding 12 tons gross laden weight, be permitted to travel at 30 m.p.h.
This overdue concession will remove many other detailed complications. The demand carries with it, • obviously, the obligation to register an appropriate gross laden weight, • and manufacturers have already done a great deal of good preparatory work to facilitate an early change-over.
As a corollary, the basis of taxation should, correspondingly, be changed from the most unsatisfactory. one of tare weight to that of gross laden weight. Sufficient data
are now available to arrange for this. conversion in the next Budget, without fear of lost revenue.
The Minister has obtained power to grant A and B licences for a longer period than one and two years respectively. We want him to extend the currency to five years, to enable operators to organize their businesses on stable foundations, and to be encouraged to buy good stock.
The haulage business, as apart from ancillary ownership, is at a standstill at a time when business in general is booraing.. Hauliers should and would organize to accept all business offering, as the railways are compelled to, if they were permitted to do so. Parliament did not intend to stop development when it established the licensing system.
We require immediate legislation to make it possible for all properly conducted road-transport businesses to be enterprising and progressive.
Given these stabilizing conditions and a definite lead from the Government, there is sufficient ability within the industry to complete the machinery for the settlement of a wage standard and the maintenance of harmonious relations between operators and their workers, to build up a rates structure based on cost of service and to further coordinated working between areas to ensure greater facilities to consignors.
Our vehicles are at present grossly overtaxed. There will come a time when we will not be content until Government demands are separated, first, as a levy to cover actual use of the roads, and, secondly, if the finances of the country demand it, a transport tax, levied equitably on all sections of the industry.
For the time being, we are content to shoulder the existing aggregate of taxation amounting to 75,000,000—no less than onetenth of the national revenue—
provided that the bulk of this sum be used to afford a modern safe road system.
. . . DO* Countless plans are discussed, but progress is slow. The money contributed by motor users it not being spent on its rightful purpose, and every year the roads become more dangerously overcrowded and out of date. What is required is a wellconsidered limited framework of entirely new national twintrunk roads, some 4,000-5,000 miles in all, by-passing, but suitably connected with, the built-up areas. These highways should be reserved for motor traffic and designed for an average speed of 60 m.p.h., a vehicle of 8 ft. and a wheel load of 5 tons.
I-laving regard to the difficulty felt in driving close to the kerb, and to the desire to increase the maximum width of vehicles to the general and natural figure of 8 ft. accepted in most parts of the world, the MiniStry's Standard road widths require reconsideration. A unidirectional roadway should have a minimum width of 25 ft., with provision for adding units of 10 ft. as required. In laying out the new roads, therefore, a minimum width between fences of 110 ft. to 120 ft. should be secured. Parkway construction and the prohibition of all building are obviously essential to the success of a permanent trunkroad scheme.
With through fast traffic segregated it should not be too difficult to plan the new connecting roads, which should also be of the parkway type, and to rebuild a sufficient mileage of existing Class A roads as supplementary main traffic routes. These highways should extend not only through the country but also right through cities, as is now being clone in Buenos Aires, to provide main avenues and traffic arteries, with segregation, and to make lungs for Planning, regional and town, must be co-ordinated with the planning of a national road system. There is too much piecemeal, and too little actual, work being done on the roads. We call on the Minister for the immediate preparation of a national scheme.
As for the Exhibition itself, it is certain to be interesting. It is being held in a new building with many additional amenities. Perhaps we may not see many outstanding novelties, but there will undoubtedly be all-round improvement. For the larger buses and lorries the compression-ignition engine has established itself more firmly than ever, but in the case of lighter vehicles its advantage is not so marked because it is more difficult to build a good small oil unit, especially down to a price and weight, and in view of the considerable advance in the efficiency of the lighter petrol engine.
The trolleybus has made great progress, but I cannot help feeling that this advance is in no small measure connected with the lesser taxation of this type of vehicle.
Road transport, still in its infancy and working with all its present disabilities, has already proved itself eminently adapted to the requirements of industry. In my opinion, further progress, which is undoubtedly desirable in the general interest of trade and industry and the prosperity of the country, must depend, for the most part, on the activity of the Ministry in the removal of the obstacles mentioned earlier in this article.