Good Service for the Road Passenger Essential to Success.
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-FILMING the coaching season of the past -1--"year there was a number, of complaints regarding the very Inefficient organization of certain coach services,. and we know of inttances where passengers were stranded for hours and, in some cases, all night, because the vehicles which should have been available to pick them ifp for the return journeys failed, to put in an appearance.
It is quite understood that breakdowns occasionally occur, even with the most perfect vehicles, but it is of vital importance to the credit of the passenger-travel industry as a whole that passengers should not be given such a serious cause for complaint. One such in' stance' of.failure is harmful enough to counteract the good effects of thousands of satisfactory journeys. We are aware that in some coaching companies the traffic managers would even go, to the expense of hiring private cars to cope with such occurrences rather than fail to give the real service which is so necessary, but there are a few who make no provision and whose only excuse is that the vehicles havc broken down. It cannot be expected that this • feeble ,answer willappease angry passengers who have been, put .to..inconvenience and ex-. pense as a result of the failure. — It is a most unsatisfactory state, of affairs when the bad conduct of a few, transport concerns brings the whole industry into disrepute. Where' there are sufficiently strong organizations of coach. proprietors it should be ,possible to thke severe action against such offenders. . MuCh could be done to avoid the trouble by a better spirit of -co-operation between the various owners, whereby they could assist One another by the provision of replacement veh Cies In the event of an unforeseen contingency. of the character under discussion... ..• It must be remembered that ench member of the coaching, industry should do his utmost to uphold its honour, and -what he does to help 'on one occasion may be re-turned with interest "on another.
It might be possible to establish a small float of vehicles in. conjunction with each 'group of proprietors, these spare vehicles being utilized . only in emergencies and stationed at convenient points, so that in no case should a party be left stranded for any considerable time.
Comfort in Travel by Sleeper-coach.
A LTHOUGH sleeper-coaches have been in -..ti-operation on various routes in Great Britain for several months, it may truly be said that the movement is still in its infancy as compared. with the older established means for travel. It is in the earliest stages of any scheme that the greatest strides can be made if constructive criticism be forthcoming or the greatest harm be done if the criticism be destructive. It is at this juncture, therefore, that we suggest a few details relative to the passengers' comfort, in the light of our experience of existing types, for the attention of builders of coachwork for these vehicles. .
Comfort is a vital factor to be considered in sleeper-coach operation, as it is upon this that so much turns when prospective passengers are weighing up in their minds the problem of road versus rail travel for any particular journey.
Many of the hours each trip are daylight ones ; therefore, the, windows must be so located that occupants of the seats can see out without altering their normal seating position. Whatever type of opening be employed there must be no fear of draughts, as these can be very disturbing, particularly during the hours of slumber. The window controls must not obtrude into the bunk space, or it will he found that a lurch on the part of the vehicle during the night may throw the passengers into rather painful. contact with them.
Some form of heating for the body is essential, even in summer time, as the hours just prior to the dawn can be bitterly cold when travelling, and, of course, in winter the heaters are required throughout each trip as a rule. Concerned with the question of temperature is the use of the main door by the driver and steward when changing places during the night. It is preferable that the two men change over without allowing the night air to sweep through the hotly: therefore, a special door should be provided.between the driving compartment and the steward's quarters. This also can serve as an emergency exit in case the main door be rendered useless.
The surging of liquids during the quiet hours of the night can beannoying to light sleepers. To obviate this the 'water tank for serving the kitchen and lavatory should be isolated from the passengers' cabins and fire-extinguishers should be sunk into some convenient woodwork, the handles only projecting so as to ensure accessibility. Bunk curtains should be hung on rings which will only just slide along their rods when . guided by hand this prevents noise and keeps the curtains from sagging, which allows the entry of draughts and affects .privacy.
Spending £100,000,000 on the Roads.
A SOMEWHAT startling suggestion has just ribeen put forward by the Roads Improvement Association. This is to the effect that the Government should initiate and carry out a national road-development programme, which, it is. said, would provide work for hundreds of thousands of men for a number of years.
'The proposal is that 1100,000,000 should be raised upon the security of a part of the revenues of the Road Fund and spent during the next five years upon the development and improvement of our roads and bridges.
At first the idea appears to possess many points of merit, but there are grave dangers attaching to it. It is admitted by all that continual improvement must be made, particularly in the case of bridges such as those spanning canals, many of which are quite unsuited to • heavy traffic, which is often barred from their use.
It does not do, however, to rush blindly into schemes of this magnitude. Already there have been too many instances of millions having been spent upon roads which were designed to endure for gears and which were supposed to be almost the last word in road engineering, and yet, in certain cases, these highly vaunted examples proved so dangerous that they had to be resurfaced within a few months of construction ; in other instances,. road waves developed even more rapidly than happened with former methods of construction.
It might well be that if the huge sum suggested were spent in this manner, the capital cost of the alinual upkeep would represent vastly more than this amount.