SPECIAL ROADS (CLASSES OF TRAFFIC) (ENGLAND AND WALES) ORDER 1968 (Hansard, 10 December 1968)

§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND (LORD HUGHES)
My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend Lord Winterbottom I beg to move that the Special Roads (Classes of Traffic) (England and Wales) Order 1968, a copy of which was laid before the House on November 20, 1968, be approved. I think it would be for the convenience of the House if I also spoke to the Special Roads (Classes of Traffic) (Scotland) Order 1968, dated November 13, which also was laid before the House also on 415 November 20. May I explain briefly what these Orders do and then the reasons for them? The Orders amend respectively the Fourth Schedule to the Highways Act 1959, and the Second Schedule to the Special Roads Act 1949, which were previously amended by Special Roads (Classes of Traffic) Orders. These provisions lay down the different classes of traffic which may or may not be allowed to use the motorways in England and Wales, and Scotland respectively, their effect in all three countries being identical.
Of the different classes of traffic so laid down only traffic of Classes I and II is normally allowed to use the motorways at all times and for all journeys. Classes I and II consist of private cars, motor cycles, buses, lorries and vehicles used for carrying abnormal loads when they are specially authorised. Class II also includes a number of vehicles belonging to the Armed Services. The only breakdown vehicles now in Class I—and so allowed unlimited use of the motorways —are those with an unladen weight of up to 7¼ tons. Bigger breakdown vehicles may sometimes use the motorways, but only to recover vehicles that have actually broken down on the motorway itself. They may not, for example, be used to bring back along a motorway a vehicle that has broken down somewhere off the motorway. The effect of these Orders is to allow some of these larger breakdown vehicles—those of up to 11½ tons unladen weight—to use the motorways at any time, just like other breakdown vehicles. This is done by putting them into Class II.
We feel that there are very good reasons for making this change. In the first place, operators have claimed that the present situation causes them considerable inconvenience and substantially increases costs to an important sector of industry. Secondly, the alternative routes that they are compelled to use often pass through densely developed and highly industrialised areas. When they are on these other roads, these large vehicles cause considerable congestion and frustration and so increased costs for the community generally. We feel that it would be of general benefit if these vehicles were allowed to use the motorways freely. They have, in any case, 416 been widely used in the past on motorways to recover broken-down vehicles—and so far as we know this has been accomplished without any mishap at all. It seems an anomaly that, whilst they have been used so successfully already, their presence on the motorways is still legally restricted.
I am sure that before agreeing to this change the House will wish to be assured that there will be no ill-effects on motorway safety. We have, of course, thoroughly examined the performance and capabilities of these vehicles and we have drafted the Orders in such a way that the vehicle will have to be fully equipped with mudguards, springs and pneumatic tyres. It must also have a highly efficient braking system. The vehicles will therefore be safe in themselves. They are also no bigger, or slower, than many vehicles already using the motorways and they can maintain a speed of up to 45 m.p.h. when unloaded and about 35 m.p.h. when towing. They should, therefore, fit reasonably well into the stream of the other, slower sorts of commercial traffic. Obviously, we should not want to see large numbers of these vehicles on the motorways and I can assure your Lordships that the number of vehicles affected by this concession is small—probably not more than a few hundred. And, of course, they will not all be on the motorway at the same time. We do not think that they will cause any significant difficulties for other vehicles on the motorway.
We have consulted with interested organisations on this proposal and I am glad to say there has been no opposition at all, but it has been suggested that we should widen the concession and allow a number of other types of heavy vehicle to use the motorways freely. We are prepared to look into this suggestion, but I can see some dangers in allowing on the motorways vehicles which are usually longer and heavier and slower than the vehicles we have in mind. The limited proposal we have made should endanger no one, but we should want to look further into any wider concession. For this reason, we intend next year to carry out a general review of the Classes of Traffic Order when the other vehicles will be considered. This is a complex and difficult subject and the review could take twelve months or 417 so to complete. Meanwhile there seems no reason to hold up this comparatively straightforward amendment, which, without causing danger to other road users, will remove an anomaly which is particularly tiresome and costly for industry. I beg to move.

§ LORD NUGENT OF GUILDFORD
My Lords, may I thank the noble Lord, Lord Hughes, for explaining to us the purpose of this Order, and tell him that we welcome it as being an Order of practical value? There is clearly an element of balance of advantage here. These big breakdown vehicles towing other large vehicles behind them fill up an unduly large part of the highway at any time, and wherever they are going they are liable to cause obstruction. But whatever obstruction they may cause on the motorway, they cause a great deal more on an ordinary road where they fill up pretty well the whole roadway. I personally would accept that the Government have struck the right balance of advantage in deciding that these vehicles should be allowed to go on the motorway. My only point is that I hope the noble Lord, having observed the advantage of motorways, will be stimulated to see that more are built—but that is not a direct concern of this Order. May I therefore welcome the Order, which seems to me in every way sensible, and tell the noble Lord that we shall look forward with great interest to the general review which will be coming in the course of the next twelve months. We shall look at it fairly critically to see that we continue to strike the right balance of advantage for all traffic.

LORD INGLEWOOD
My Lords, may I refer to the general review which has been mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Hughes, on the classes of traffic, because when this review is completed, and if any changes are to be made, again presumably they will be presented to us in two separate Orders. I think I am right in saying that at the present time there is no special road which crosses the Border between England and Scotland. Shortly there will be a motorway going up to the West Coast. I should like to ask the noble Lord whether he will take 418 particular care to ensure that all the administrative details concerned with traffic on that motorway will be the same on both sides of the Border. I can see little historic reason here for having the differences which we often have and respect in other fields. In this new field I hope that we shall be able to ensure that the Border between England and Scotland, at least so far as motorways are concerned, does not mean that one moves from a country with one type of administration into another with different rules.

§ LORD HUGHES
My Lords, I certainly give that undertaking. As I understand it at the moment, in England and Wales there are eleven classes of vehicles; in Scotland, with our natural economy, we have managed to compress them into nine classes. Whether we shall overcome our instinct and in the end have eleven, or whether we can persuade the Southerners to compress theirs into nine, I do not know.