ROADS FOR MOTOR TRAFFIC.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160724, 10 August 1920, Page 4

ROADS FOR MOTOR TRAFFIC.

.When the question for roads for motor traffic was under discussion at the annual meeting of the British Science Guild in London a couple of months back, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, interestingly revived remembrance of an old-time scheme. The time, he said, had arrived when we should consider whether special roads for mechanical road traffic, from which all other traffic should be excluded, should not be provided. There was no reason, as that distinguished engineer, Sir Frederick Bramwell, said many years ngo, why a road should not be constructed of a material which had practically the same absence of friction as a rail. If so, road transport should require about the same power as rail transport. Just before railways began to be made what were called plateways were much in vogue in the North. These were tracks about 2ft wide for wheels only, made of steel plates over which the steej tires of carts conveying coal or other minerals passed, the resistance being, of course, hardly more than existed in the case of the steel wheel on a steel rail. It would be quite feasible, Lord Montagu suggested, to'lay down such a plateway between London and Birmingham, for instance, perhaps partly in metal and partly in concrete or in some other durable material which would reduce the tractive force per ton on the road to, say, about 201b per ton. The cost of double track "would be approximately that of a single line of railway, as it would be possible to use gradients up to 1 in JO, and hardly any buildings would be needed en route. The cost of operation also would be on a much smaller scale than on a railway, as there would be a much smaller permanent staff, no signals or stations, and few large bridges or viaducts. Prom the point of view of the producer and consumer, goods could be delivered from door to door without any intermediate handling, which was notv a very expensive item in railway transport.