Do we want lorries powered by overhead cables?
THE proposal of railway-style overhead lines to power lorries on motorways (Mail) would be a disaster. We should concentrate on expanding railways to handle more freight, keeping it off the roads.
JIM TRICKETT, Pontefract, W. Yorks. WHAT a good idea to run lorries using overhead electric cables. What would be a suitable name for this miraculous step forward? How about calling it a train?
MIKE CATTERALL, Accrington, Lancs. IF A form of public transport powered by overhead electric cables is called a trolley bus, shouldn’t lorries that are similarly powered be called trolley trucks?
SIDNEY REDHEAD, Grimsby, Lincs. INSTEAD of using overhead electric cables, why not line motorways and dual carriageways with solar panels to provide power?
S. LIVINGSTONE, Pembury, Kent. THERE are so many troubling issues with the idea of HGVs powered by an external electrical power source. There is the requirement to stay in a fixed lane, so what would happen at slip roads and interchanges? Would there be sufficient clearance under bridges? And what if there were a power cut? A more cost-effective and practical solution would be to extend the electrification of rail freight routes.
DAVID RANDON, York. THERE are dual-wheeled vehicles capable of running on rail or road, so why isn’t this approach used for lorries? They could load up at a distribution hub and be driven to the nearest rail terminal, where they could be linked up to form a train, transported to near where they are needed, then driven on the road to their destination. The funds for proposed overhead wiring on roads could be used to provide cheap transport for the masses in the form of dodgem cars!
PETE WILLIAMS, Hayes, Middlesex. IT WOULD be far too expensive to have lorries that are capable of running on rail and road. Imagine the weight of retractable railway wheels and axles with road wheels that would have to be able to steer. Who would be qualified to drive the linked-up trucks on railway tracks, where you have 125 mph trains and 4,000-ton freights that can’t stop for two miles?