Dick Marsh, watch out for those stage carriages !
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Boxing Day in England is almost as big a sporting date as any Saturday throughout the year, but because British Rail and London Transport have cancelled their services over the four-day Christmas period this year, many people will be deprived of their entertainment.
In South East London, however, things will he different. Rodney Stone, the Charlton Athletic manager, is making his own arrangements. Lewis's Coaches, of Greenwich, have applied to the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioners to run four stage-carriage services on Boxing Day between Southwark and the Valley, where Charlton meet Portsmouth. The pick-up points will be 14 railway stations along the route.
In addition, a four-horse stage coach, the 100-year-old Bedford Mail, will come into service and passengers will be provided with a stirrup cup (even if they're sitting inside) before leaving.
British Rail should look out. This convivial horse-coaching is an idea which could catch on.
Bussed up ?
The wife of a friend in the North West received a communication the other day with the Greater Manchester Transport postmark message: " Get there by bus. Leave the driving to us."
The communication was a driving test appointment card,
Unfair non-cops
Our deputy editor has fixed ideas about the role of traffic policemen. Believing that prevention is more effective and cheaper than detection he thinks
central reservation of motorways in their white cars, or, when travelling, keep their rotating blue lights illuminated. He argues that there would be fewer speeding offences and it would be cheaper for all parties concerned.
When he was in Germany last week he thought, indeed, that he had found the ultimate answer to providing deterrents : the German radio stations, when broadcasting traffic news, have also been advising listeners that speed checks were being carried out on such and such a stretch of road.
His German host told him, however, that the police were less than impressed with this helpful services and said to the broadcasting company : " Nordy, nordy, you must not do this."
I'll bet they did! But how shortsighted and unimaginative. They would only have to persuade the radio stations to broadcast a constant barrage of speed-trap warnings and speeding throughout Germany would cease at a stroke. For a while, anyway.
Boating benefit
Afloat but not all at sea: happy intending mariners visiting the Boat Show at Earls Court next January 1-16 will have three Selectaboat machines to sort out what they want to see and know. By completing a questionnaire about the boat(s) they're seeking, they'll get a print-out from an Olivetti machine giving details of what's available—length, engine type, accommodation, price, etc, and where to find them in the Show.
I mention this not only because CM's sister journal Motor Boat and Yachting has participated in compiling the data for the scheme, but also because it seems that we could do with something similar for the commercial motor show.