Major Whiteleyasked the Minister of Transport whether he will ensure that on the super cession of tramcars in favour of other means of transport the tramcar lines in the district concerned are at once removed or covered?
§ Captain WallaceThe statutory liability of the undertakers upon removal of their tramways is usually limited to restoring the road to the condition in which it was before the tramway was laid. In most 2383W cases such restoration would be inadequate to meet modern traffic conditions and it is therefore the usual practice of highway authorities to accept a lump sum in satisfaction of this liability and themselves to remove the rails when the road is repaired or reconstructed. I have no power to compel highway authorities to put any particular works in hand but they are all well aware of the desirability of removing or covering the tracks as soon as possible and repairs are often antedated for this reason.
When trolley vehicles are substituted for tramways the condition of the tramway track is always taken into account before the trolley vehicle route is authorised, and it is the practice of my Department to stipulate that the rails should be filled in with suitable material pending their removal.