Rail Customers Back Road Haulage : Mr. Lindsay Told of Prosecution
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TWENTY-FIVE Fylde market
gardeners on Tuesday supported an attempt to provide a daily road service for their produce from Lancashire to Sheffield. The North Western Deputy Licensing Authority, Mr. J. R. Lindsay, was continuing to hear, at Lytham St. Annes, an application by EL Wood and Sons, Hardhorn, near Blackpool, for a new B licence to carry produce from within five miles of base for delivery to Sheffield (The Commercial Motor, November 29, 1957).
Brewer and Turnbull, Ltd., H. Parkinson, E. Harrison and British Railways objected.
Carried Under " F " Licence Mr. F. D. Walker, for the applicants, said the business consisted of the father and four sons, who had operated for 15 years as farmers and nurserymen. For the past 12 years they had carried their own produce to Castleford Market, Sheffield, three days a week under " F " licence, leaving between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., and arriving before the market opened at 6 a.m.
They had been pressed by many other growers in the area to carry their produce and last August applied for a shortterm B licence, supported by letters from two growers, which was granted. In fact, they carried for about 20 growers and it was only about a week later that they realized the grant was for two only An extension was sought, again supported by letters, but this was refused. Rather than disappoint their customers, they continued to carry even when a renewal was refused on October I until the application for a substantive licence came before the Licensing Authority on November 19. , Fined £73 10s.
When these matters came to light, the hearing was adjourned pending investigation by the enforcement department. As a result, proceedings were instituted and at Fleetwood on March 12, H. Wood and Sons were fined £73 10s., and £14 5s. 6d. costs, on 14 summonses under the Road and Rail Traffic Act.
It was• now submitted that there was evidence of need that would justify a grant and there was no reason to fear further breaches of the law. Twenty-five growers, whose traffic had formerly passed by rail, were interested in a road service to Sheffield, but evidence would be given of collections being too early in the afternoon, goods being handled at least four times, deliveries not made to time and the return of empties taking three to five days.
On behalf of British Railways, Mr. P. Kershaw submitted that all the witnesses were customers of the railways and if a licence were granted there would be a substantial transfer of traffic at their expense.
Mr. A. Carter, a director of Brown, Bradbury and Carter, Ltd., fruit and vegetable merchants, Castleford Market, Sheffield, said deliveries by rail from Blackpool were never before 7 a.m. and often after 9 a.m. The growers could lose up to Is, 6d. per crate if selling did not start until 6 a.m., and in an attempt to speed up matters they employed a private carrier to meet the trains at an additional cost of 3€1. per crate.
The hearing was adjourned.
MINISTER'S GRANTS FOR CITY SCHEMES
IT is expected that a contract will be let during the summer for the construction of a further length of Birmingham's inner ring road. This second section will radically alter the Bull Ring area of Birmingham, and will cost nearly £ lim. The Minister of Transport has made a grant of 75 per cent, towards this sum.
The new street will carry both the ring road traffic and most of the traffic between the city centre and the Coventry, Warwick and Stratford roads. The scheme comprises a large roundabout upon which will be retained the Market Hall. This will be a sunken area for the street traders. They, with all pedestrians, will be able to enter this area and the Market Hall through subways.. A parking area for market vehicles will be provided on the north side.
The wholesale fish market will be completely rebuilt and enlarged on a site a little to the south of the present one.
The Minister has also made a grant to the London County Council of threequarters of the cost, estimated to be £941,300, of carrying out the work on the second stage of the Elephant and Castle improvement scheme. The cost of the whole scheme is estimated at £1,476,000.
The second stage provides for a roundabout at the main junction of Newington Butts, St. George's Road, London Road, Newington Causeway and New Kent Road with pedestrian subways on all roads.
It is expected that the whole scheme will be finished late in 1961.