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A Parting Gift

24th February 1950
Page 37
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Page 37, 24th February 1950 — A Parting Gift
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

AS if to make amends for some of the damage done to the free development of road transport during wheeled Si the past 41 years, the Minister • of Transport recently announced that, in the national interest, the legal overall length of fourwheeled single-deck passenger vehicles will be increased to 30 ft. At the same time, he confirmed that double-deckers could be built to a maximum length of 27 ft., instead of 26 ft. These concessions will apply to vehicles registered for the first time after June In reaching this decision, the Minister has partly acceded to the frequently expressed wish of both manufacturers and operators. There is, however, one important concession that he has not granted. The need still exists for a standard maximum legal overall width of 8 ft., so that single-deck fourwheeled public service vehicles may be built to common box dimensions of 30 ft. by 8 ft.

• The dispensation promised by the Minister is, however, of great value.' It will help to obviate the multiplicity of designs which manufacturers at present have-to produce in order to satisfy both home and overseas needs. Taken in conjunction with the valuable work that is being done by the technical committee of the heavy vehicle manufacturers' section of , the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, it will do much to increase standardization and should ultimately reduce production costs.

The Minister to the Use o

Substitute for Double-deckers .

When bus operators are able to use 30-ft. fourwheeled single-deckers, there may well be a reduction in the number of double-deckers employed. At present, double-deckers, which are more costly and difficult to build, far outnumber• single-deckers on stage-carriage work. The annual analysis of municipal bus fleets published by "The Commercial Motor "on December 9, 1949, showed that of a total of 17,443 buses run by municipalities, 15,673 were double-deckers. Details of the proportion of double-deckers to single-deckers in company fleets are not known, but there is likely to be a, preponderance of double-deckers. How, long this tate of affairs will continue will probably depend mainly on the rate at which large at Last Agrees . single-deckers can be made f 30-fi. Fouravailable to users in Britain. A maximum length of ngle-deckers 30 ft. will enable full use to be made of the benefits of the underfloor-engined design, of which several makes are already in production. Others are on the way.

In a vehicle of this type, it should be possible to seat 44 passengers in comfort. With such a • large seating capacity, the single-decker becomes a strong rival of the double-decker and has additional advantages of flexibility that the doubledecker does not possess. In many districts, • .operating difficulties are increased by the presence of low bridges, which limit freedom in the switching of vehicles from route to route at peak periods. The large single-decker offers complete mobility, in the fullest sense, and should ._greatly facilitate operation.

Reduce " Stationary " Time No one has ever pretended that the low-height double-decker, which makes movement difficult for upper-deck passengers, is desirable. A 30-ft. single-decker could be built with almost the seating capacity of such a vehicle, but without the inherent disadvantage of delay in loading and unloading. The: incidence of loading and unloading time in the operation of public service vehicles is vital. According to Mr. G. F. Sinclair, chief technical planning and supplies officer of the London Transport Executive, the picking up and setting down of passengers on town work occupies 11 per ,cent. of the total journey time. What is known in America as the " transit-type " bus, with separate exit and entrance, would probably reduce that proportion.

Now that costs are rising . more rapidly than receipts, the missed fare assumes even greater significance than in the past. With all passengers on one .deek, the conductor's work should be greatly simplified. :Here, however, 'the 'questionof vehicle width plays an important part. The narrow central gangway at present permitted by law, makes collection of fares at peak periods difficult, especially when standing passengers are carried, and the need. for a standard overall width of 8 ft. remains urgent..

The claims to this concession by both coach and bus operators are strong. On stage-carriage work there is a need for the utmost width in gangways to enable passengers to circulate freely and the conductor to move up and down the bus without hindrance.

On the long-distance coach, where passengers spend many hours, wider seats are required to give grearer comfort. This matter is particularly important in touring coaches, in which passengers may spend up to 21 days. The coach holiday is becoming increasingly popular, but is relatively expensive because of the current high cost of living, and patrons expect full value for their money. They must, therefore, be given the maximum of comfort.

Coach operators will welcome the increase in the overall length of vehicles, because they will be able to provide a greater number of seats, for which the need has been particularly urgent since the war. To use larger vehicles will he more economic than increasing their fleets to meet the insistent demands of the public for coach travel.


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