{Transport}[11th June 1972]

[Redbook1:250-252][19720611:1522b]{Transport}[11th June 1972]

197206111522

[continued]

            And so the the railways, to which I will always return for my examples – because I know a little about them, and because they are a subject near to my heart.  I am of course biased in their favour – and I think their abandonment is a terrible waste.

            We learn that [the British Railways research centre at] Derby is at last working on plans for the self-propelled automatically driven railway wagon, which will take itself when full to the nearest marshalling yard to be forwarded as [part of] a train.  Although the economics seem a little doubtful at this stage, this scheme could (as The Times points out) re-instate the private siding and revolutionise railway freight traffic.

            Motorways create traffic.  After the M4 [motorway] was opened road traffic on that route increased significantly but the railways (the only important competitor) did not lose a significant amount of traffic.  Cardiff housewives started driving to shop in London for the day for the first time.

            The ‘excuse’ for motorways is their freight traffic.  In fact their most marked effect is on passenger traffic.  One could not attempt to restrict private cars (for political reasons) but there is no direct moral reason not to restrict freight traffic, and little political reason not to, and there should in the future (see above – food – and NB the E[uropean] E[conomic] C[ommunity]) be little economic reason.

            NB Although I think most accidents on the motorways are caused by car drivers, I suspect more injuries are caused by lorries being there.

            Of course many other things are implied by this: and most, for example, provide jobs for those who used to drive the long-distance lorries.  Perhaps they could work on the railways?

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