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by Les Oldridge AMIRTE, MIMI
Public service vehicles (2)
THE Public Service Vehicle (Conditions of Fitness) Regulations, 1958, as amended, lay down the conditions with which psv must comply before a Certificate of Fitness can be issued. As a bus or coach cannot operate as a psv without one, this legislation is of great importance to the operator of passenger fleets and even of greater importance to the manufacturers of vehicles catering for this market.
Regulation 50 deals with the general construction of psv and states that all such vehicles must comply in all respects with the Construction and Use Regulations and that vehicles, including all bodywork, upholstery and fittings must be soundly constructed of suitable material. Vehicles must be well finished and in good and serviceable condition and of such design and construction as to be capable of withstanding the loads and stresses likely to be met with in operation. They must be fitted with lighting systems which comply with the Road Transport Lighting Act.
Angle of tilt Stability is dealt with in Regulation 5. It lays down that a double-deck vehicle must be capable of being tilted so that the surface on which it stands is at an angle of 28deg from the horizontal without the bus overturning. The test must be conducted under similar conditions as if the vehicle was laden on the upper deck only and with a driver, and conductor if one is normally carried; the weight of a passenger, for.this purpose, is deemed to be 1401b.
A single-decker must undergo a similar test but in this case the tilting angle is increased to 35deg from the horizontal and, of course, as there is no upper deck the simulated load is placed on all the seats. In both tests the height of any stop used to prevent a wheel of the vehicle from slipping sideways when the vehicle is tilted must not be greater than two-thirds of the distance between the surface on which the vehicle is standing and that part of the rim nearest to that surface. In other words the stop must not be greater than two-thirds of the distance between that part of the wheel rim nearest to the road and the road itself when the vehicle is loaded.
Every psv must be fitted with an efficient suspension system so designed that there is no excessive body sway. Construction must be such that the failure of any spring, torsion bar or other resilient component of the suspension system is not likely to cause the driver to lose directional control of the vehicle. For the purpose of this Regulation a tyre is not regarded as part of the suspen sion system.
Minimum turning circles for psv are laid
down as follows:— Vehicles' overall length Minimum turning circle
Not exceeding 27ft 65ft Between 27ft and 36ft 7th Exceeding 36ft 78ft
Certain relaxations to these rules are allowed for vehicles first registered before 1959 but as there are unlikely to be many vehicles of this age in operation I will not bother to detail them. Regulation 7 deals with this subject if anyone needs to look up the Regulation.
Side overhang Side overhang must not exceed 6in. beyond the outer face of the outer tyre on the rearmost wheel of the vehicle. On minibuses this dimension' is increased to 7in. and the Regulation does not apply to vehicles first registered before 1932.
If any two wheels on either side of a vehicle have a clear space between them of more than 2ft then that space must be effectively guarded to within 9in. of the front wheel and 6in. of the rear wheel and to within lft of the ground. The latter measurement is to be taken when the vehicle is unloaded and standing on level ground. This requirement is obviously for the purpose of preventing pedestrians from falling under the wheels of the vehicle. Modern bodywork is so low that no special steps need be taken to comply but on older vehicles it was common to see slats fitted alongside the vehicle between the front and rear wheels for this purpose.
There is a general rule that all brakes must act directly on the wheels of the vehicle and not through the transmission system. This regulation does not apply to a vehicle first registered before January 1 1933. In the case of a vehicle registered after January 1 1955, this rule does not apply to a handbrake applying the brake by mechanical means if no universal joint is interposed between the brake and the wheels, if failure of any part actuating the brake does not cause a wheel to become detached from the vehicle and all the wheels of the vehicle are fitted with brakes all of which are operated by one means of operation. There is also a requirement that there shall be a footbrake!
The steering mechanism must be so arranged that no overlock is possible and so that under no circumstances can the wheels foul any part of the vehicle.
Next week: More about the Condition and Fitness Regulations.