"Very Near to Nonsense"
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MR.. CANT is anxious to claim the credit for organiz ing the opposition to the raising of the 20 m.p.h. speed limit on heavy goods vehicles. It is certainly something of a feat to hold up for seven years so commonsense a proposal, but it is doubtful whether many of the public bodies that are still against it would care to associate themselves with the arguments in his letter published in your issue of March 27.
The opponents of the increase generally take their stand on the ground of road safety. Their motives are therefore praiseworthy enough, even if misguided. Mr. Cant is too knowledgeable not to be aware that the roadsafety objection is not valid. He has to rely entirely upon the one point that the raising of the speed limit may cause a certain amount of hardship to a limited number of drivers.
In spite of the red herrings and contradictions in his letter, it is not difficult to bring to light the assumptions on which it is based. Mr. Cant considers that the basic wage for drivers is too low. They are therefore, according to him, forced to work 66 hours a week to earn enough money. It is not reasonable, the argument concludes, to expect them in the 66 hours to do more work than they would be capable of doing in, say, 44 hours.
This seems very near to nonsense. More important stilt, it has nothing to do with the 20-m.p.h. limit, which should never in the first place have been allowed to become the battlefield for a dispute on wages. If wage scales generally be regarded as too low, there exists machinery for negotiating better rates of pay. Substantial increases for the drivers of heavy goods vehicles, even on the pretext of an alteration in the speed limit, would lead to demands from other drivers, and subsequently, perhaps, from workers in other industries.
A higher permissible speed would help vehicle manufacturers and road users, and have no harmful effect upon road safety. Above all, if it shortens the time for a journey, it should mean more efficient and cheaper transport. Trade and industry, as customers of road, transport, should be the chief beneficiaries. If in the process the drivers and the hauliers gain something, all well and good. But the interests of the drivers (or of the hauliers) are not the primary consideration, as the " public bodies" that Mr. Cant has " organized " would perhaps be the first to agree.
TRANSPORT MAN
(With acknowledgments to Janus).
Nottingham.
MUCH has been written concerning the proposed limit of 30 m.p.h. for vehicles of over 3 tons unladen It might be considered that this is much ado about nothing, because that is precisely what the net result has been. With a modest experience of 30 years with steam machines limited to 5 m.p.h. and gradual increases to 8, 12 and 15 m.p.h., we seem now to have arrived at a stalemate with 20 m.p.h., so that industry and enterprise are brought to a comparative stop at this figure.
What will really happen if the 30 m.p.h. is introduced? I would say that the drum will be banged hard, as it was against denationalization, but the result of such activity will be as impressive as a drop of water in the ocean.
al6 It has been said that drivers of British Road Services will not countenance any increase. The unions are strangely silent on the matter, but what is the opinion of the C licence operator; has he been approached? There are many who are considerate to their employees and would give a sympathetic hearing to any likely to suffer any grevious loss id pay. Perhaps if there is any considerable increase in mileage, a suitable bonus scheme would be arrang,ed for any drivers who are hard hit.
I am not one of those who believe that every user of transport is avaricious, in fact, I am sure that this country enjoys traders of merit and contractors of good . reputation. It seems to ma that F. Cant is rather out of touch with reality whenhe refers to lorries crawling up hills 'at 6-10 m.p.h., but he agrees that the 20 m.p.h. is often exceeded.
Although I am one of the people who, in the past, " did not take their boots off for a week," I am still able to accept the view that 30 m.p.h. will be an economic proposition, for we must move with the times. Nothing will be achieved by drivers saying that they will not have the higher limit, which I believe will be with us before long. Denationalization has arrived and the 30 m.p.h. must follow; we will all soon get used to it.
Hounslow, Middx. W. F. YORATH.
L.T. Bus Speeds and Costs
VOUR report of the Transport Tribunal proceedings on London fares was most interesting. Mr. A. Valentine states that operating costs of buses in London are 2s. 5d. per mile and only 6d. is saved if they do not run. According to my observations in various parts of London, half the buses are not required at off-peak hours. Why not withdraw them and save the bd.? A walk down any of London's thoroughfares in midmorning or mid-afternoon reveals processions of buses containing but few passengers.
Like so many other people, I have found it quicker to walk rather than wait for a bus. An example is the journey from Green Park Station to Victoria. The buses on this route (Nos. 25, 38 and 38A) are invariably running early and as a result one has to endure a 10 m.p.h. crawl, 'punctuated by prolonged stops. I always walk to Victoria (through the park) and actually do the journey quicker than does a bus. This is perhaps one reason why the London Transport Executive lose some of their 2d. fares.
Mr. Valentine says that the average bus speeds have increased since the war. They may have, but not enough for the 'passenger to notice it. It is true that many routes have had their running times decreased, but there are still too many others, dating from the days when Type NS (and in some cases B) buses were operated. The latest London bus seems to be wasted on such routes.
It has been stated that quite a large saving has been effected by increasing operating' speeds. Still more can be saved by increasing those on .other routes. One of the causes of public complaint—crawling vehicles— would also be eliminated. There would be no missed connections if a bus journey, timed to take 10 minutes actually took that time.
To combine the two suggestions made above—reduce the headway at off-peak hours and decrease running times—would effect a considerable saving in bus-miles.
It is a pity that employers will not cO-operate more fully in staggering working hours. Surely they must realize that by all starting and finishing at the same times they cause delay and hardship among passengers, and what is more important—keep L.T.E.'s costs up.
Another saving might be made' by the abolition of early morning fares. Just because a person starts work early is no justification for letting him off part of his fare. Today, most of the early workers are paid more than office workers (and extra for overtime), yet the latter have their appearance to keep up and usually no canteens and other amenities of factory workers.
When the latest underfloor-engined Green Line coach entered service it was stated that it employed pilot injection on its power unit. This, as is well known, increases the fuel consumption slightly, but quietens the engine. When even a change in the viscosity of the lubricating oil used affects fuel consumption in such a large fleet as that possessed by the L.T.E., cannot consideration be given to the replacement of pilot injection with " ordinary " injection? The engine on the type of vehicle concerned runs fairly quietly without pilot injection, so that the change back would not unduly raise the noise level in the saloon.
London, N.2. E. J. SMITH.
A Champion of Continental Design
ALWAYS find that the reports on foreign motor shows constitute one of thc most interesting features of your journal, but I do think that L. J. Cotton tends to be rather disparaging towards certain trends in Continental design.
An example which I have in mind is a reference to the current German practice of mounting coach engines longitudinally at the rear.
A unit mounted in this way does not occupy more potential passenger space than one mounted conventionally at the front, and It has the considerable advantage of providing a low floor level, and a straight drive into the final-drive assembly, without introducing an extra right-angle into the transmission line as does the transverse engine arrangement.
There is, as far as I know, only one make of rearengined coach in this country, and in the examples of this vehicle which I have seen, no advantage has been taken of engine position to provide a low floor level; in fact these coaches might just as well have the engine amidships, in view of the floor height.
It does not seem too clear why the designer of the Biissing double-decker described should provide such a low headroom in the upper saloon, for if the lowerfloor level of this vehicle is the same as the larger underfloor-engined single-decker of the same make (2 ft. 10 in.) it should be possible to construct a full-height bus on this chassis, even when using the dimensions laid down in our own regulations, and this without exceeding an overall height of 14 ft. 7 in.—just an inch or so more than our own models, It may well be that this bus has to be operated where bridges and overhead wires limit height.
London, W.13. E. G. COOKE.
Educational Value of Models
TOUR reference under 'Passing Comments "in the issue dated February 27, as to the educational value of models, meets my entire agreement. As a lorry driver and model maker, I have built from scrap a model of a Foden eight-wheeler complete with trailer. This, besides interesting adults, is used by the headmaster of our local school for demonstrating the employment of commercial vehicles to his scholars, and this seems to be much appreciated.
The" Foden " is complete with four-wheel steering, leaf springs, upholstered cab and many other realistic features.
Kintbury, Berks. G. A. SHEPPARD.
What Position Would Suit?
I AM 'wondering if you can assist me in a small problem. A For some time I have been interested in motor vehicles, not from the mechanical angle, but from the point of view of recognition, i.e., telling one from the other and noting the different registration numbers and the concerns to whom the vehicles belong. I have quite a good head for figures and I am wondering whether, at my age of 25, it would be possible to turn what has hitherto been a hobby into part of my work. In what capacity would you suggest I could be employed? Also, do you know of any firms who would consider engaging me? I am not out of work, but I am not too happy in my present occupation.
Nuneaton. TAI.LY.
Is the Small Coach Progressing ?
OUT of a total of approximately 500 coaches (excluding double-deckers) which visited Aintree on March 28 for the Grand National, 10 were of the 'baby coach" variety. Half of these were 14-seaters, the other five had 8, 11, 13, 15 and 16 seats respectively.
This may well reflect a recent trend in coach travel.
Liverpool, 15. R. SWALLOW.
The " Flash " Question
AGREE with J. E. Collins that the general intention in this area is that the driver who flashes his headlights on and off is giving way to an oncoming vehicle.
I, too, would be inierested in the views of others in order to discover where any change in this procedure takes place, in order to avoid disastrous results.
Bassett, Southampton. D. T. FORREST.