CM exhibit in Tribunal step-frame case
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WHAT is a step-frame trailer? This was a question before the Transport Tribunal last week. The case, in which the Tribunal reserved their judgment, arose as result of a grant made by the North Western Deputy Licensing Authority.
Kaye Goodfellow (Transport Consultants) Ltd., represented at the public inquiry and before the Tribunal by Mr. J. A. Backhouse, had been granted licences for four semi-trailers and the deputy LA had imposed a condition that while construction of the trailers could be flat or step-framed not more than four of the latter could be used at any one time.
It was against this decision that A. and T. Keogh Ltd., represented at the Tribunal by Mr. J. S. Lawton, were appealing. Mr. Lawton suggested during the hearing that there was some confusion regarding a stepframed trailer. A photograph produced in court to illustrate the type of trailer was considered unacceptable by the respondents. This showed a frame which dropped approximately 18 in. below the fifth wheel coupling, with the platform still about 4 ft. above the ground.
Mr. Backhouse submitted that there were three general categories of trailer construction, platform, semi-low-loader, and lowloader, and that a step-framed trailer fell within the semi-low-loader category.
This was the opinion which had caused the appeal. A. and T. Keogh Ltd. operate semi-low-loaders, and they feared that the grant would cause abstraction of traffic. The appellants had claimed at the original hearing that they had spare capacity with this type of vehicle.
Mr. Backhouse told the Tribunal that despite the appellant's claim it had failed to produce evidence of availability. He also pointed out that Keogh had paid £150 a month in sub-hiring this type of vehicle which he contended would not have happened if they had in fact had spare capacity.
Mr. Backhouse felt that he had established a case for more than had been granted by the deputy LA and he told the Tribunal: "We can on occasion use 10step-frame trailers and I feel that if the deputy LA has erred he has done so on the side of generosity to the objector."
During the hearing there was one of those rare occasions when the Tribunal permitted the admission of an additonal document. To assist in clarifying the definition of a step-frame trailer COMMERCIAL MOTOR'S representative at the Tribunal handed to counsel the issue of September 30, 1966, containing an illustration of a step-frame trailer.
London Street to be Widened: Mrs. Barbara Castle, Minister of Transport, has made a grant of £343,076 to the Corporation of the City of London towards the cost of /476,185 for widening Upper Thames Street between Bush Lane and Arthur Street. Dual carriageways, each 27 feet wide, will replace the existing single carriageway. Footways will also be widened.