The London Traffic Report for (?) 1912.
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It Contains Little Novelty of Suggestion and Does Not Pay Sufficient Attention to the All-important Motorbus Triumph,
The fourth annual Load-on traffic report was published at the beginning of December, 1911, and we reviewed it at considerable length in our issue dated the 7th of that month. The fifth report is just to hand from Colonel It. C. Heltard, Who is now the head of the London Traffic 'Branch of the Board of Trade. As is our custom, we have examined this annual publication with care, and we find much less in the new Blue Book to interest us than we have on previous occasions. A very large proportion of the text is merely repetitionary front previous issues, and a great deal of what comment there is is confirmatory of the Branch's previously-expressed opinions.
The Parlous State of the Tramways.
It is difficult to avoid the coaclusion that there has been some influence at work, since the appearance of the fourth report, which has caused Colonel Hellard to be almost lukewarm in regard to the extraordinary manner in which the motorbus is now beating the L.C.C. trainc.ars in so many directions. The parlous state of the present tramway system, and its doubtful future, are factors of immense importance to the ratepayers of the Metropolis, and we consider that the London Traffic Branch might well have employed itself in analysing the causes which have brought this state of affairs to pass, and even in proposing Fv0 me means, arising from its close study of the problems, which might be aecepta,ble to the public in regard to the ultimate future of Greater London's passenger transport.
The Data are not Contemporary.
We presume that it is almost unavoidable that much of the data which are included in these reports are old. The columns of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR— weekly newspaper as it is—naturally contain, from time to time, up-to-date statistics with regard to such matters as the number of registered cabs and motor buses in the Metropolis. The best this report can do, much as on previous occasions we admit, is to bring these figures up to the July of the year of which it is intended to be a review. The consequence is, that much of the two pages which are devoted to motorbus operation is entirely out of date. We find detailed particulars of separate companies which have now for some while been absorbed by the L.G.O.C.; it is recorded that in July the Metropolitan Steam Omnibus Co. "owned 65 steam omnibuses of the Darracq-Serpollet 'construction." The excellentlyproduced motor omnibus map is, of course, quite useless, as evidence of anything like the modern condition of affairs.
Londoners Travel More Than Ever.
The useful table, compiled from statistics supplied by the local railway companies, the tramway undertaking, and the various omnibus owners, from which is deduced what may be called the "travelling factor" of London's population, is brought. up to the end of 1911. We find that the number of journeys per head had increased during the last recorded four years as Follows: 195.3, 198.1, 218.1, 228.8. This -does not include the journeys which are taken by London's huge fleet of inotoreabs. We read:— " Seine addition has been made to the tramway systems in operation during the year, and in the reconstruction of horse. lines for electric working, but in view of the fact that, in most of the suitable wider streets and roads in the Metropolis, tramway services are already being run, no great development is to be looked for in the immediate future. Any new projects in the Administrative County are likely to entail heavy cost for widenings, and financial considerations are not calculated to encourage enterprise in this direction either here or in Outer London."
Not a word is said, it will be noted, as to the inadvisability of tramway extension in view of the prof of effective competition which is now available from motorbus operation.
Colonel Hellard carries on, as would be expected, much of the propaganda of his predecessor in regard to the vital need of road improvement for the Metropolis. We quote a pertinent paragraph thereon.
"No further demonstration is needed to emphasize what has been stated again and again, that for a given outlay on road improvement, far greater results can be obtained in the suburbs and outskirts of London, and that it is a matter of urgent importance to deal with them at once, in preference to carrying out the more expensive improvements in the closely built areas of London itself, where the cost would be no more five or ten years hence than it is to-day."
Roadside and Roadway Obstructions Should Go.
We also cull the following expression of opinion, which appears to contain certain valuable suggestions which, if acted upon, should do much to assist in the matter of relieving existing congestion.
"Before incurring large expenditure on the widening of existing streets, every effort should be made to assure that the best use is made of such accommodation as is available, and in this connection something might be done in the matter of clearing standing vehicles from the streets. No new premises should be alluwed to be erected, without. internal arrangements for loading and unloading vans, clear of the street, where the business entails these operations on any extensive scale, such as railway collecting offices and newspaper offices. Manhole covers to coal cellars might be larger to expedite delivery. Wherever the road surface in an important thoroughfare is broken up for repair, either to the road itself or to underground services, the work should be carried on by double shifts as far as possible, to reduce the length of time that the street is obstructed."
The report intimates that many of the subjects indicated in its pages " will be discussed or papers presented [concerning them] to the International Association of Road Congresses in London in June, 1913."
" Looking at all the circumstances," we read, " the weight of advantage seems to lie decidedly in favour of relief roads in cases where suitable roads can be found." This is an expression of opinion as between widening schemes and the laying out of alternative routes.
A Well-planned Census of Traffic.
The traffic census is a feature which is very thoroughly dealt with in these reports, and it is only by some such means as those adopted by the Statistical Department of the London County Council, which acts on behalf of the London Traffic Branch of the Board of Trade in this matter, that anything like instructive comparisons are attainable. It will be remembered that, on previous occasions, Colonel Jekyll initiated a carefully-considered scheme whereby t'he various traffic units were valued on a graded" obstruction basis." The-4e factors are used in arriving at the relative stages of traffic density at a large number of carefully-chosen points in the main thoroughfares of inner and outer London.
The Interesting Bridges of the Metropolis.
In order, however, to obtain some idea of any changes which may have taken place, we consider that, for the ordinary reader, it is sufficient briefly to consider some of the enumerations which have been made at points near the principal bridges over the Thames. Traffic across the river it would appear is more concentrated, and comparisons from year to year should, we suggest, be less liable to error from temporary causes if considered at these points.
The Goods Traffic of the Tower Bridge.
Last year, in writing of the traffic over the principal London bridges, we were surprised to find that London Bridge had to take a back seat. This year, however, we find it in the premier position in regard to the total traffic in both directions over a period of twelve hours in one day in 1912. 17,253 vehicles of all sorts, including barrows and cycles, passed over this historic bridge. Westminster Bridge comes. second with 17,204, followed by Blackfriars and Tower Bridges. It is curious to note that, in comparing the figures for 1912 and 1911, the total numbers of horse and motor vehicles over London Bridge have increased by SOO, whereas that over Westminster Bridge' has dropped by the same amount ; Blacktriars Bridge, too, carried nearly 600 fewer units. The greater number of motrcabs in a day passes over Westminster Bridge, these numbering 4247, as against the next classification, which is Waterloo Bridge, with 2670. In regard to motor trade vehicles Blacafriars Bridge leads with 409, the next being Westminster Bridge with 333, and Vauxhall Bridge with 282. London Bridge only accounts for 180. An interesting point arises in regard to the number of slow-moving motor vehicles. For purposes of classification, the trade motor units are divided into fast and slow. With regard to the latter, Tower Bridge carried 145 on the chosen day, whereas the next competitor was London Bridge with 92, Battersea Bridge with 87, then Vauxhall Bridge, Ratherhithe Tunnel (sic), Westminster Bridge, and Waterloo Bridge, in the order named. The Tower Bridge is obviously very largely used for goods traffic, the percentage of trade vehicles totalling in this case to 93: last year it was 92. Rotherhithe Tunnel has an even higher percentage, which is 98. London Bridge is as low as 53 per cent., and Westminster Bridge is down to 29 per cent.
The average traffic density, which is a factor arrived at on the basis of the obstruction data to which we have already referred, is far and away the highest on Tower Bridge, a state of affairs which is, of course, accountable from the slow-moving heavy and bulky vehicular units which form so large a proportion of the traffic in both directions there.
The Coming Commercial Motor.
Remarkably little is said in all these figures of the growth in motorbus traffic, but emphasis is laid upon the corresponding increase in regard to motor-driven goods vehicles. Much of the report, as on previous occasions, deals with street improvements, tramway extensions, and suburban railway operation. The section devoted to motor-cabs contains nothing new, but it includes a brief history of the unrest which was
noticeable during 1912 in that industry, Colonel Hellard is of opinion that there is still a wide field open for invention. He adds : "For instance, the successful substitution of paraffin for petrol could itself effect a further considerable reduction [of costs].
There is an informative batch of statistics in regard to accidents which are directly traceable to the existence of tramways in the streets of London. Not only do we find that, of the accidents directly caused by tramcars during 1911 there were 2401, of which 27 proved fatal, but it is added that the number of accidents to persons and property, known or reported to. the police in the metropolitan district to have been due to the presence of tramcars or tramlines in the streets, for the same period, amounted to 5602. No fewer than 1976 accidents were due to vehicles skidding on tramlines, and 3826 were traceable to tramcars.
Overcrowding Underground.
Reverting to the section on omnibuses, it is recordedl that " electric railways can and do carry, at certain times more passengers than there are seats provided.' We might almost add, in the case of the Cityand South London, that they at certain times carry more passengers than those for whom there is standing room. It might well have been said that, in the opinion or the Traffic Branch, the platforms slung between the carriages on that railway are not suitable or safe conveyances for as many as 13 passengers, a state of affairs which frequently exists.
The report deals at some length with the L.C.C. application for powers to run trailer tramcars, a subject which has already received our attention.