Effect Of Elections

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31018, 25 March 1966, Page 11

Effect Of Elections

QNE likely result of the British General Election is that a decision on the future of the 70 m.p.h. speed limit will be postponed temporarily, writes John Langley in the “Daily Telegraph.” Officials of the Road Research Laboratory have already started analysing the preliminary results of the general speed limit, which came into operation for

Christmas. From this information it was expected that the Minister of Transport (Mrs Castle) would be able to make an announcement on whether the general speed limit was to be dropped, modified or continued for a further spell. But with Parliament dissolved and an election campaign raging it is felt unlikely that the Minister would announce a decisions on such a potentially controversial issue.

One possibility is that the laboratory’s statistical report could be issued without any official Government comment In this case it is unlikely to be a particularly illuminating document.

The 70 m.p.h. limit is in any case due to continue until April 13, so the final decision could presumably be conveniently left to the new Minister of Transport. The laboratory has had two groups working on various as-

pects of the speed limit. One has been studying the effects on traffic speed, the other the effects on accident figures. Special accident report forms have been issued to all the police forces of England and Wales for recording the details of all accidents involving injury on certain selected roads.

The motoring organisations can be expected to take advantage of an election campaign for restating their doubts about the general speed limit. No doubt they will also want to impress on candidates their concern about the state of the roads programme.