No Additional Picking-up Points
Page 44
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IF the application before the Traffic Corn1.missioners were granted, picking-up points on excursion and tour licences would become as frequent as stops on stage services and the principles on which licences had previously been dealt with would be upset.
Mr. F. D. Walker, for Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., made this submission to the North Western Traffic Commissioners, at Manchester, on Monday, when they objected to an application by Stanley Spencer (Manchester), Ltd., 27 Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, 2. They sought to vary feeder services into Manchester for fantail tours from Rochdale and Ashton under Lyme, by the addition of picking-up points at Royton, Middleton and Dukinfield.
For the applicants, Mr. J. Backhouse. said that they were not seeking to extend their catchment area but to provide better facilities for the inhabitants of the towns. Because of increasing competition from car-hire concerns it was essential. that operators of eizeursions and tours. should be able to pick up passengers in their home towns. The population in Middleton, an overspill area, had risen from 32,000, in 1953, to over 58,000, in 1960.
Cross-examining Mr. E. Harrison, manager of Spencer, Mr. Walker pointed out that all three towns were within easy reach of a wide range of exiended tour facilities and had excellent bus services into Oldham, Ashton and Manchester. Mr. G. Dawes, traffic assistant of Ribble,said that Spencer's tours were in direct competition with their " Kingfisher " tours from Manchester, which had picking-up points at Middleton. Rochdale, Oldham, Ashton and Hyde.
Mr. A. Robinson, managing director of W. Robinsonand Sons (Great Harwood). Ltd., said that they were predominantly fantail-tour operators, with picking-up points at Oldham, Ashton, Hyde and Man chester. If Spencer's application were granted it would upset existing gathering grounds.
Refusing the application, Mr. F. Williamson, chairman, said that there was no justification for a grant. No supporting evidence had been produced for Roy ton, that for Dukinfield was unconvincing and Middleton involved a deviation train the existing route.
In 1954 the Commissioners decided that it was in the public interest to allot a gathering ground to each licence holder. This would be disturbed only on material evidence of need. The fact that passengers came from outside did not in itself justify extension.