1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140 
Severe Warning by Commissioners
Page 62
Page 63
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
AWARNING that he would be severely dealt with if he did not comply with his licence conditions in future was given to Mr. Harry Stott, of Stott's Tours and H. Ramsden, Ltd., by the North Western Traffic Commissioners last week.
Mr. Stott had admitted several departures from vehicle allowances, deviations from permitted routes, and the transfer of passengers from the coaches of one company, of which he was a director,' to those of another.
The Commissioners were continuing hearing applications by Oldham operators to modify their licences following the Commissioners' proposals to prohibit unauthorized linking (The Commercial Motor, November 13, 1959), Mr. H. Allen, general manager of Yelloway Motor Services, Ltd., gave evidence for the objectors, comprising his company, the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd„ Creams (Lancashire), Ltd., Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., W. C. Standerwick, Ltd., and Lancashire United Transport, Ltd. He claimed that they were capable of dealing with all available traffic to the Fylde coast and North Wales.
Mr. J. Backhouse, for the applicants, said that express operators should not be favoured in preference to others. It had to be proved that the objectors had suffered abstraction as a result of linking. and not from ordinary competition. As operational figures for only 1959 had been supplied, it was impossible to compare the figures of two consecutive periods and obtain a true picture of the situation.
The objectors seemed to be operating economically and to be running with practically full loads, added Mr. Backhouse. This was denied by Mr.
c24 'Allen, who said that the objectors had to operate dead mileage and could not afford to lose more passengers.
For the objectors, Mr. F. D. Walker submitted that in nearly all the cases there had been deviations from route at one time or another. If one operator, were allowed to link, all the others should be given the same privileges. In the early and late seasons, the express operators were running uneconomic services to the coast. The applicants had not shown that it was in the public interest that linking should be permitted in North Wales and on the Fylde coast.
Mr. Backhouse stated that it was unreasonable that express operators should have the advantage of extra passengers when their services were already extensively used. Passengers might prefer to travel with an excursion operator but not be allowed to do so.
He did not wish to condone the past, but it was not desirable that express operators should have protection when they had suffered no abstraction, he added.
Decision was reserved.
DRIVERS MUST NOT CHOOSE WHEN the Northern Traffic Corn 'Y missioners granted route variations for Lake District services to Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., and Parker's Motors, Ltd., Grange-over-Sands, last week, it was stipulated that drivers should not decide which roads to take'.
Mr. J. A. T. Hanlon, chairman, said that the disregard of licence conditions was viewed with "great concern." Operators should obtain the Commissioners' permission when it was necessary to vary routes because of road repairs or bad conditions.
"Department Should Ease Congestion"
ABIGGER contribution towards the
relief of traffic congestion could be made by Leicester Transport Department, maintains Cfir. A. R. Williamson, a member of a special committee on local traffic problems. He wants fewer buses to stand at central terminals, and has crossed swords on this point with Cllr. S. Bridges, chairman of the transport committee.
air. Bridges does not think _that bus travellers should have to walk far to a bus stop while motorists could park their cars fairly freeI y. Moreover, bus schedules would have to be changed waiting times at inner terminals were cut.
B.T.C. LOSE APPEAL AGAINST WALLACE ARNOLD
THE British Transport Commission have lost their appeal against a grant to Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd., by the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners. The company were allowed to continue excursions and tours, with modifications, starting from various points including Leeds, Scarborough and Hull.
The Minister of Transport has agreed with the view of Mr. A. N. C. Shelley, his inspector, that a case had been made out for additional destinations and increased vehicle allowances, and did not consider that the grant would, result in substantial abstraction of traffic from the railways.
READY TO BUILD MORE ROADS
PLANT and labour were available for the construction of a West Highland ring road and a motorway between the Forth and Tay road bridges, said Lord Cameron, chairman of the Highland Advisory Panel, at the annual dinner of the Scottish Plant Owners' Association.
No Witness to Support Application
WHEN the hearing of an application VV by Messrs. Rennie's Transport, Glasgow, was continued before Mr. W. F. Quin, Scottish Licensing Authority, last week, Mr. J. Law, for the company, said that it had been impossible for a supporting witness to attend and his clients were prepared to withdraw their case.
Mr. Quin allowed an adjournment, but pointed out that it was not enough to produce witnesses. , Evidence of need must be established for an application to succeed.
Rennie's sought an A licence for a vehicle of 31 tons to carry goods for James Howden and Co., Ltd., and Gray, Dunn and Co., Ltd, in Scotland and England.
Mr. Law said that a witness from Howiden could not attend, 'and Gray, Dunn had to be deleted from the application. A subsidiary concern of theirs had made a successful application and were now doing the work.
VEHICLES INTERCHANGED WITH SUBSIDIARIES
no EPRESENTING James Cowan and
Son (Haulage Contractors), Ltd., Glasgow, before Mr. W. F. Quin, Scottish Licensing Authority, in Glasgow last week, Mr. R. Mackenzie said that he had had difficulty in appreciating the ramifications of his clients' activities because of the extent to which vehicles had been interchanged with subsidiary concerns.
Mr. Quin warned that the vehicles should be run strictly within the terms of their licences. The company had to put their house in order.
Cowan sought to replace four vehicles totalling 12+ tons by four of 13 tons by the variation of an A licence. The Authority allowed two vehicles for milk traffic, but deferred decision in respect af the other two until certain matters had been clarified.
He added that an application by a subsidiary, Messrs. James Rice and Co., for vehicles working in their own name would be considered.
CONGESTION SLOWS CARRIERS nONGESTION in the centre of Scottish 1/4-0 cities was now so bad that carriers ;ould not deliver quickly enough, even wer short distances, to satisfy customers. Mr. W. F. Quin, Scottish Licensing kuthority, was told this last week when le granted Mr. Hugh McClellan, -a :artier operating between Glasgow and -fan-Alton, a B licence for a vehicle of :1 tons to do delivery work within a .5-mile radius.
TRANSFER SANCTIONED
QTATED to be operating transport and storage facilities for domestic, radio ind television appliances in Scotland, Nilliam Hamilton Motors, Ltd., Camnislang, Glasgow, were last week granted. he transfer of a 31-ton vehicle from ;pecial-A to A licence by Mr. W. F.
Scottish Licensing Authority.
B.T.C. Reduce User Terms
QEJECTING to an application by Ayrshire Transport Services, Ltd., Kilmarnock, before Mr. W. F. Quin, Scottish Licensing Authority, last week, the British Transport Commission succeeded in reducing the terms of the normal user sought by the concern.
The company wished to transfer five vehicles from special-A licence to an A licence for " general goods, Great Britain." Mr. Quin said that the evidence suggested a normal user Of "34 per cent. English Midlands, 24 per cent. London and the South, and the balance as required."
This was agreed to by the applicants and the Commission, and the transfer was granted also with definitions of the main categories of goods to he carried.
NEW LINK FOR SHEPPEY
rE combined road-and-rail bridge across the River Swale, at Kingsferry, linking the Isle of Sheppey with the mainland, is expected to be completed for road traffic later this month. The rail section is expected to come into operation next month.
The neliv bridge, with approach roads. was started two years ago and will have cost Lint, when finished. It is of the vertical-lift type, and has . a concretedecked steel lifting span 120 ft. long. This is carried 95 ft. above high-water level between reinforced concrete towers.
Awards Offer Little Inducement
SAFE-DRIVING schemes with awards offered little inducement to drivers to exercise a competitive spirit, said Mr. W. L. Russell, general manager, Dundee Transport Department, last week.
Participation in a national safe-driving scheme had been turned down, he added. Any reward for Dundee drivers with safedriving records should take the form of an annual dinner.
Estimated expenditure out of the accident fund in 1959-60 was over £7,000. The cost of about 1 per head for fewer than 400 drivers would therefore be money well spent, Mr. Russell remarked.
The transport committee have adopted his suggestion.
" PIRATE " EARNED UN A WEEK
AHAULAGE contractor who was said to earn about £100 a week by "pirating" used a "completely false" A licence, stated Del. Chief Insp. Alexander Bryce at Thames magistrates court, last week. Michael .Dougan, 96 Ellerman Street, Poplar, pleaded guilty to using the licence with intent to deceive. He was fined £20.
A summons was issued. hut Dougan did not come to court. A warrant was then put out for his arrest and he walked into a police station, saying that he had been ill. Dougan had 12 previous convictions, mostly for burglary and larceny, said the inspector.