Fight for Broads Traffic by Three
Page 47
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Rival Operators at Manchester
RIVAL applications by three companies were submitted to the North Western Traffic Commissioners at Manchester, last week. The North Western Road Car Co., Ltd.. and Trent Motor Traction Co., Ltd., applied jointly for two extensions to operations between Manchester and Nottingham. This was unsuccessfully opposed by W. Robinson and Sons (Great Harwood), Ltd., who also asked for renewal of their Manchester-Great Yarmouth licence and a new licence for an extended feeder service between Preston and Manchester.
It was also proposed by Robinson that vehicles on the feeder service should be allowed to take up any excess from the existing Manchester-Great Yarmouth licence and that the present vehicle allowance of five, for each of the two routes from Preston into Manchester, be abolished. These applications were opposed by the British Transport Commission and eight independent objectors. including North Western and Trent.
Lack of Evidence Refusing the feeder application and that to take up excess from the existing service. Mr. F. Williamson. chairman. spoke of the lack of evidence. The renewal was granted. while the vehicle allowance at peak periods was increased to eight, 10 and 12 on varying dates.
North Western proposed to extend summer operation from the last Sunday in September to the Sunday following the first Thursday in October, a maximum increase of two week-ends. They also wanted to add the period between Easter Sunday and the Sunday before Whitson, to the service operated by the 7.38 a.m. coach between Bakewell and Nottingham. No objection had been raised in the East Midland Area.
Mr. .1. Booth, for Robinson, claimed that the proposals could lead to linking with the applicants' service to the Noi•folk Broads at Nottingham. Mr. W. Woolley: assistant traffic manager for North Western, gave an undertaking that ihey would publish their intention if the company considered running through coaches to the Breads. He was, however, not prepared to give such an undertaking on behalf of Trent, whom he also represented. Despite the absence of evidence to confirm or refute Mr. Booth's supposition, the application was upheld.
Mr. Booth stated that the feeder application submitted by Robinson was purely for the convenience of the public. He pointed out that North Western, by their " mongrel " service, effected by linking a series of licences, carried more passengers to The Broads than did the authorized direct service of Robin-son.
• Mr. A. Robinson, Managing director of Robinson. stated that up to July 25, a total 1,235 bookings had been received from Preston. Blackburn, Darwin, Bolton and Chorley. This compared with 1.144 for the whole of 1959. Total bookings over the same period were only slightly less than the number carried throughout last year.
For North Western and three other operators, Mr. F. D. Walker reminded the Commissioners that similar proposals by the applicants had been made in 1957. and that they had failed on appeal. He doubted whether conditions had changed sufficiently to warrant further application. He also suggested that as Saturday was invariably a slack day. vehicles might be re-allocated to the Friday services. With only two operational days a week, on what basis were the applicants asking for more vehicles, he asked.
. Spreading Holiday Load Mr. 0. H. P. Beames, for the British Transport Commission, submitted that as there were no members of the public as witnesses to support Robinsons, there was no reason to accept the evidence submitted as conclusive, Mr. Booth replied that the two booking agents he had called were well acquainted with public opinion. With growing concern about the spreading of the holiday load hc thought the restriction. on the pickingup points should be removed. He described the limitation of five vehicles to the " holiday " towns as an anachronism and asked why those people implementing the spreading of holiday traffic should be penalized for so doing.