“Railwayfication” Of The Roads.

Among people who never use the railways because they own an automobile there existed at one time many who sincerely believed that the train was becoming obsolete, and that in the not very distant future the steel tracks would be torn up to make room for concrete surface automobile speedways. When there were only three or four automobiles per mile of roadway, it was easy for the motorist to believe in the superiority of his system, but now, with ton-mileage figures on the road approaching those on the railways, it is harder to find the advantage, or indeed to see any marked difference. The one-way street, the colourlight signal, driving tests, car parks or sidings, and the ban on overtaking in built-up areas (actually the new 30 m.p.h. limit amounts to this) are making the roads resemble railways ever more closely. Because motorists proceeding head to tail for miles in single file would be happier if strung together and piloted along by the head man, it wants but one bright person more interested in scenery than in another motorist's tail lamp to suggest this and the transformation will be complete—the railway system will have been invented again by the very people who affected to despise it.—“The Railway Gazette.”