THE SIZE OF MOTOR-COACHES AND THE DANGERS OF THE ROAD.
[To MB EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."] SIE,—The accounts in the daily Press of the horrible motor- coach accident at Brookland on Saturday night raise once more the vexed question of road safety. Such serious accidents are becoming ever more frequent, and surely call for limitation by statute of the size of the vehicles used for pleasure purposes. I do not know the existing law, but whatever it is it is obviously failing to meet the conditions. The consideration of safety, however, is only one part of the argument against allowing such large vehicles to be used. To allow present conditions to continue is not an engineering proposition. All but our large arterial roads are quite inadequate for present-day traffic; and although much is being done by the Ministry of Transport in widening and strengthening road surfaces, and by providing new routes, it must be a question of years and not months before our roads will be able to cope with the ever-increasing traffic. Very few of our second-class roads provide room for two large coaches to pass abreast with more than a few inches to spare. No road-surfacing material in general use can with- stand for long the tremendous loads placed upon it. The rapid road deterioration, the formation of " pot boles" and loose surface, is due almost entirely to concussion shocks of the unsprung weight of heavy lorries, &c., and this accelerates the deterioration and increases the upkeep charges of all vehicles. The cyclist and private users of the lighter cars often find travelling anything but a pleasure. The char-h-bane is a godsend to workers cooped up for most of the week in large cities, and is their best means of escaping to the countryside. But on smaller vehicles they could travel more comfortably, at little, if any, greater expense, and cer- tainly with greater safety. The problem of the industrial lorry is pressing, but must be left to experts to decide. Everything must be done to cheapen transport. But the sooner the per- missible weights of pleasure vehicles are reduced by law the better will the safety and general road conditions become.—
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