Ministry fails Tapley tested brakes
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• A Ministry of Transport vehicle examiner said at a Section 178 inquiry at Eastbourne last week that it was a pity there was no area maintenance advisory committee for the Southern area of the R HA similar to that of the Western area. This view was supported by Mr. N. Weber, the technical advisor to the Western area advisory committee.
Mr. Stanley Hunt, of Hunt's Transport, Newbury. had one vehicle suspended for one month by the South Eastern LA, Maj.-Gen. A. J. Elmslie, who said: "I have very carefully considered all the evidence and am grateful for the attendance of Mr. Weber whose technical knowledge is indisputable. The facts are that Mr. Hunt has had seven prohibitions which render him liable to the curtailment of his licence.
The LA added that the prohibitions were entirely the result of a lack of an effective system of preventive maintenance and that such a lack involved a danger to the public.
Mr. Hunt has a fleet of 11 vehicles, said his solicitor, Mr. T. D. Corpe, and has had seven prohibition notices placed on them in the past year. These could have been avoided if a proper maintenance system had been in force.
With reference to brakes, Mr. Weber said in evidence that the roller system for testing brakes at the Ministry testing stations was failing brakes that had proved satisfactory when tested with a Tapley meter. This was because the roller system tested each wheel individually as opposed to the overall effectiveness of the whole system.
• Manchester City Transport's traffic revenue for the year ended March 31 1969 fell by £257,789 to £8,690,411 compared with 1968. Mileage decreased by 3,281,376 to 35,712.062. and the number of passengers carried—due to the introduction of self-service fare collection equipment, the figures are partly estimated—was reduced by 23,259,000 to 252m.
• An application by James Whiteford and Sons, of Lanark, for a B licence on road and building materials, which had 10 objectors, due to be heard at Glasgow on Monday was withdrawn prior to the hearing and thereby lapsed.