MUNICIPALITIES SHOULD USE MOTOR BUSES.
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Candid Statements by Tramway Managers. The Shortcomings of the Trams and Tramways, and the Usefulness of the Buses.
ip ROM what took place at the Annual Confer ence of the Municipal Tramways Association at Brighton on Wednesday last there are signs that, in certain quarters at any rate, a change of outlook is coming over municipal tramway managers in regard to their attitude towards the use of motor omnibuses. Those who have followed the trend of events In tramway circles during the past few years will not perhaps be surprised at this. Certainly, the leading tramway managers of the country have long foreseen that the transport of passengers in and around our large cities has, developed to a stage when it is DO longer a question of sheer competition between various forms of transport for the same service, but a matter in which the particular advantages of particular systems must be weighed in the balance if service is to be given to the travelling public.
Among, if we may so, these more enlightened tramway managers must be included Mr. A. H. Fearnley, general manager of the Sheffield Corporation Tramways Department, which also runs a considerable omnibus service, and the paper which he read at the conference in question should go a long way towards eliminating the partisanship which is too often shown for tramways irrespective of the merits of motor omnibuses. This, of course, is on the purely practical side of the question, and apart from the disputes which are arising all over the country between municipalities owning tramways and motor omnibus services, and private owners of motor omnibuses wishing to trade in their areas.
Mr. Fearnley laid down the principle that the municipalities of the country are determined that the control of transport facilities in their areas shall remain in their hands, irrespective of the type of vehicle adopted, but he immediately adds the frank statement that it is obvious that the requirements of passenger transport on our roads cannot adequately be mcide by a system of transport which is confined to a rail or tied to a wire. The defect in tramways, he adds, is not the present cost of construction, renewals and repairs—which he admits is a handicap—but lack of mobility, which was always with tramways but not previously so apparent before the advent of the motorbuses.
Transport Authorities—Not Tramway Authorities.
At the same time, Mr. Fearnley averred tnat tramways are still the premier form of street transport for the large industrial areas, and he claims that no one has yet been able to demonstrate anything to the contrary, Coupled with this, however, he claims that every municipality which has accepted the responsibility for street passenger transport operation should have powers to operate, develop and extend motor omnibus services. In short, the municipal authorities, as was first postulated several years ago by the late Mr. J. B. Ramiltou, the general manager of the Leeds Corporation Tramways, 'should constitute themselves transport authorities and not tramway authorities and take full advantage of every means of transport available. Mr. Fearnley is following on these same lines, as he has already shown by developing the use of motorbuses In Sheffield to the extent he has. Some extremely interesting figures were given with regard to the comparative costs of operating tramcars and motorbuses. Asking the question, "Can tramways exist alone on the central and short-distance runs?" Mr. Fearnley states that the motorbus is improving and becoming more efficient every year and, in time, even the cornparatively short-distance routes will be attacked. The advent of the double-deck top-covered motorbus has changed the position of affairs so far as the comparison with tramway operation is concerned. This type of vehicle, it was stated, seats 52 passengers in an excellent manner, provides easy and comfortable riding and maintains a high average schedule speed.
At the Municipal Tramways Association's Conference at Dundee in 1919 figures were given showing the comparative costs of operating tramways and motor omnibuses at Sheffield. In supplementing these by the figures for the present year, special attention was called by Mr. Fearnley to the decrease in cost per seat provided on the motor omnibus. The figures are taken from a route on which the 52-seater type of motorbus has replaced a tramway.
Referring to the Commercial Motor Vehicle Exhibition this year, Mr. Fearnley stated that more efficient engines, improved low-framed chassis, wide track, improved brakes, provision for higher speeds and good coachwork with comfortable seating accommodation would be found, but he expressed the hope that a great improvement in springing will also be available, otherwise the advantages outlined above would be seriously discounted.
After a general recommendation to municipal authorities to look beyond their own localities and endeavour to link up the outlying areas, Mr. Fearnley suggested that those towns having Parliamentary powers to enter into running arrangement8 with outside authorities might profitably consider the advisability of acquiring and operating the small independent motorbus services which have started in their neighbourhood, in order to prevent big companies or combines getting hold of such services, and he instanced certain happenings around Leeds, which coupled the name of one of the largest motor firms in the country with a scheme for acquiring a controlling interest in many of the small motorbus firms serving the Leeds district.
\ Continuing, he said that tramwaytraffic may have lost some of its attractions due to its lack of speed, constant and irritating stops, inability to pass ears in front, and consequent inability successfully to run through-service cars, lack of modern rolling-stock and a not too attractive appearance. To counter this loss of attractiveness, it is suggested that tramcars could be speeded up, power brakes fitted which could control the cars under the increased speeds with ease without objectionable shocks to the passengers ; ventilation should have immediate attention and, in general, clean, comfortable, well-lighted, attractive and up-to-date tramcars provided.
How Tramway Systems Can Employ Buses.
Finally, as to motor emnibuses, it was suggested that they should be in general use to-day by all tramway systems for the provision of services in thinly populated areas ; for the extension of tramway routes and over tramway routes, thus bringing long-distance passengers into the centre of the town ; on any routes which might under normal circumstances have been scheduled as tramway routes ; for services over lengthy tramway routes heavily used for short-distance passengers ; for linking adjacent towns where tramways do not cover the whole length of routes ; for meeting night trains and excursions, and for what might be termed "health and recreation routes."
The discussion followed much upon the lines of the paper, inasmuch as the opinion was freely expressed that tramway systems, in the great majority of cases, can be improved by greater speed, improved lighting and ventilation, and greater care in maintenance as regards painting and so on. From enquiries made by Mr. R. S. Filcher, the general manager of the Edinburgh Corporation Tramways, It appears that some tramway authorities do not repaint their ears for 10 years, and more than one speaker referred to the conditipn of some tramway systems as deplorable. It Was made manifest that a great deal is hoped for, so far as. general competition with motorbuses are concerned, from giving attention to the points raised by Mr. Fearnley,
Fair Competition With Private Bus Owners.
The other aspect of the matter, viz., the granting of licences to private bus owners to run over municipal tramway routes, received a great deal of attention, and the clause was made that municipalities should not only have equal opportunities with private owners to run buses inside and outside their boundaries, but that all the obligations now laid upon tramways as regards road maintenance and street widenings should be shared by all those making use of the streets for passenger transporeservices.
One councillor for Glasgow spoke of using buses in preference to trams because the former served him better, and he told a story of a tram conductor who told a passenger that, if she desired to get to her destination quickly, she had best take a bus.
One of the most thoughtful criticisms of the paper was by Mr. C. J. Spencer, of the London United Tramways, who still holds the view that the tram can beat the bus under equal conditions. He challenged Mr. Fearnley's comparison of a 52seater bus with a 68-seater tram, and said that the latest type of tram can carry 78 passengers, and that on this basis the extra cost per seat of the motorbus is 46 per cent. and not the 27 per cent. mentioned in the paper. Mr. Spencer declared that the carrying capacity of buses has now reached its limit, whilst, on the other hand, the carrying capacity of trams can be still further increased. Moreover, a true comparison of the cost of running buses could only be arrived at by taking into account similar charges in respect of the roads as now have to be taken into account for trams. He believed that the time must come when motorbuses would have to pay a much larger figure in this respect than is now represented by the licence.
Tramway undertakings in this country, Mr. Spencer said, are in a rut and far behind many countries in the world, and he made one of the many pleas put forward during the discussion for attention to be given to silence, lighting, speed, ventilation, appearance and the general attractiveness of tramways which, with new equipment, could hold their own with buses and even beat them. He did not agree that over a given route buses were faster than trains : the London figures did not show this to be the case, and it was possible, with existing tramway equipment, to increase the speed to a quite considerable extent. By due attention to details, he had increased the average speed on his lines by 10 per cent. to 12 per cent.
The Handicap of Securing Parliamentary Sanction.
Among the other points made in the discussion was the one that the Municipal Tramways Association is not acting in a sufficiently live manner in assisting local authorities to secure Parliamentary powers enabling them to run buses without the need for promoting Bills, the complaint being that, under the present procedure of having to publish details of the Bill beforehand, it was possible for private interests to come along and run buses over the proposed routes before the Bill could be r2; o t through Parliament.
Mr. IV. Murray, the Walthamstow tramway manager, charged tramway managers with lack of vision, otherwise the municipalities of the country generally would have secured power to run buses inside and outside their borough ere now, and the Metropolitan problem would not have reached its present state. Councillor V. L. McEntee, also of Walthamstow, complained of the national attitude of the Press towards tramways and urged the Council of the Association to take steps for giving publicity to the advantages of tramways without the aid of the national Press, and he seemed to think this could be done by advertising in the local Press.
Other speakers expressed themselves satisfied with tramways if motorbus competition could be eliminated, but one delegate thought motorbus competition had been a good thing for tramway authorities.
Reviewing the discussion as a whole, it can be said that, whilst tramway managers intend to make every possible use of motorbuses, they appear to have had their eyes opened to the fact that it is impossible, having regard to the large amount of capital sunk in tramways, to scrap them. Their policy must be to improve the tramways in every way and to make them more attractive, for they appreciate that the public will take the vehicle which gives them the best service. There were differences of opinion, however, on the point as to whether buses are faster than trains. So far as the speakers went, the opinion was in favour of the buses as things stand, whilst the view was put forward that efforts should be made to secure an Increase in tramway speeds. At the same time, some strong statements were made concerning the present condition of many tramway systems.