THE COST OF OUR ROADS.
[To the Editor of the. SPECTATOR.]
Sm,—Although I have read Lord Montagu's articles on our roads, I do not know that the question whether the country can afford to carry so much of its medium and heavy traffic, on its roads has ever been well considered.
At present the many companies and firms carrying passengers and goods can get along perhaps only because they pay but a small part of the cost of repairing the roads they destroy. They live to some extent on the rates and on the taxes levied on the comparatively light pleasure cars. While the railways have to buy every yard of land they require and all their permanent way, and keep the line in good condition, the heavy commercial vehicles gaily tear up the roads all over the country and pay but a &salmi of th* damage they do.
The only way of finding out whether we can afford all this motor traffic is to make commercial vehicles pay their full share of the cost of repairing the roads and of recon- structing them to carry this heavy traffic, and see whether the respective companies and firms can still survive.
We know that, except for light traffic, carriage by motors on roads is far more costly than carriage by railway. Can we afford to spend 300 millions sterling on our roads in the next ten years ?—I am, Sir, &c., E. II. 13.
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