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89. In December last the Local Government Board made an Order
(The Heavy motor-car Order, 1904) dealing with motor-cars exceeding
two tons in weight. By this Order, which came into force on the
1st March last, the widths required for the tires of the wheels of heavy
motor-cars and the speed at which they may be driven on highways,
are made dependent upon the weight of the car and load. The
Paddington Borough Council objected to the Order and convened a
Conference of Metropolitan Local Authorities on the subject. The
Conference was held in March last, when resolutions were passed
suggesting modifications in the Order with the view of reducing the
weight and speed of heavy motor-cars. This Council did not take
part in the Conference, as it appeared to the Council that the Order
would be useful in controlling the speed at which heavy locomotives
might travel along the streets, and that the damage to buildings, &c.,
arising from the vibration caused by this class of traffic would thereby
be considerably reduced.
Electrical
Traction on
Tramways.
90. With regard to the system of electrical traction to be adopted
for the new tramways from Wandsworth to Tooting and
the re-constructed tramways in York Road, the Council
in December last was informed by the County Council that from a
careful investigation which had been made of the route it appeared
that certain extensive additional widening would be necessary in
order to permit of the whole of this line being constructed for an
underground system of electrical traction, that, apart from the question
of delay, the County Council Committee did not then feel able to
recommend that Council to incur the very heavy expenditure which
the improvements in question would entail; that a proposal had been
under consideration for the re-construction of the lines from tile
eastern end of the route to a point west of Falcon Road (where
the necessity of fresh widenings arose) for the underground system,
the re-construction of the remainder of the existing tramways west of
that point and the construction of the authorised tramways along
Garratt Lane being carried out on the overhead system; that should
this course prove practicable it might be possible for the work to be
put in hand at an early date, and the lines would in that case, it was
hoped, be ready for electrical working by the time that the generating
station at Greenwich was completed. The County Council asked
whether this Council would be prepared to consent to the use of overhead
traction on the part of the existing tramways in this Borough