POLICE DISAGREE WITH URBAN COUNCIL
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ANapplication for the transfer of a bus station from Lumley Road, Skegness, to Drummond Road, was made by Barton Transport, Ltd., of Beeston, Notts, at a sitting of the East Midland Traffic Commissioners, in Lincoln, last week.
Objection was raised by Skegness Urban Council, on the ground of the danger of obstruction owing to the narrow roadway. The council also refused permission under its powers given by the Town Planning Act.
Mr. J. H. Stirk, chairman of the Commissioners, agreed with the applicant that, so far as the objections with regard to the town planning scheme were concerned, they should be decided by the Ministry of Health.
Applicant produced a letter from the superintendent of Skegness police, who stated that he considered the change would be beneficial to traffic and the public, and would cut out the danger at the Sandbeck Road junction. The site, it was stated, would accommodate 14 buses, but the maximum number of buses in the station at any one time would be 11..
Subject to any decision which might be given by the Ministry, the application was granted, Mr. Stirk pointing out that, had the police considered any danger would be caused by the site being converted into a bus station, they would have raised strong objections.
TROLLEYBUS PLAN FOR NEWCASTLE?
THE electricity committee of Newcastle-upon-Tyne is considering using all the profits on the transport undertaking, during the next five years, to convert the tram services to trolleybus operation. The cost will be over £390,000, but this does not include the services in Gosforth Road, Spital Tongues and Westmorland Road.
DETAILS OF £100,000 BUS ORDER.
nUR issue for last week contained an Vitem of news to the effect that Leyland Motors, Ltd., has received from Riga Municipality, Latvia, a bus order estimated to exceed £100,000 in value, 70' single-deckchassis and 20 complete single-deckers. It is now made known that all the 'machines are to be equipped with the maker's 8.0-litre' direct-injection oil engine, and a number .of the buses will have the Leyland
torque converter. . '
The ehaSsis chosen are of the Tigress bonneted type and incorporate left-. hand: steering. To .withstand the cold Latvian winters, they will have special heaters for the oil fuel and anti-freeze windscreens. The 28-seater metalframed bodies, which will be 7 ft. 10 ins, wide, are to be built by Park Royal Coachworks, Ltd., and, although the seating capacity is small, there will be ample accommodation for standing passengers. The bodies will
have two entrances on the off side, that at the front having coach-type doors, the rear one being of the open type. Tubular seats will be used throughout.
DUAL-PURPOSE ELECTRIC BUS STOP SIGNAL.
1-1F assistance to intending passen gers and drivers alike, the Eco electric bus stop signal should prove particularly useful on poorly lighted roads. Its use, in such circumstances, should also assist in reducing complaints from intending passengers,
and be conducive to improved timekeeping.
Two types are available, one suitable for single services or a number of services operated to a common destination, and the other where a number of services passes a request stop en route to different destinations.
Battery I models can be supplied where no mains current is available. The makers are the Equipment and Engineering Co., Ltd., 2-3, Norfolk Street, Strand, London, W.C.2.
COMFORTABLE AND EFFICIENT, . BUT INADEQUATE.
RESIDENTS of Meon Valley complain that, although " Southdown " buses are comfortable and efficient, the services are inadequate. It is alleged that there is one bus less per day as compared with 10 years agoThe service also stops a mile or two short of Fareham, the district's most convenient shopping and entertainment centre.
Fareham Chamber of Trade has now decided to approach the local bus companies with a request that a better service from Meon Valley be provided.
FREE TRAVEL-THREE YEARS OR FIVE?
1-1. A N inquiry by the Ministry of Trans
port to consider all aspects of the time-worn controversy concerning the age limit for free travel by children by rail and road, was opened in London on Monday last.
The age limit by rail is, and always has been, three years,' whereat individual road operators fue their own limit, which may be four, five or six years.
On behalf of the railways, it was contended that any concession beyond three years provided an inducement for intending rail passengers to go by road and was, therefore, unfair, even to the extent of being wasteful competition.
Mr. Archibald Safford, Recorder oi Faversham, who held the inquiry, sought enlightenment as to what was meant by "wasteful competition," but the efforts of the railways' representative were not entirely convincing.
For road interests it was contended that the Ministry could not lawfully lay down a. general rule; it might possibly lay down principles. It was pointed out that, for 50 years, Binning.. ham, for example, had operated a transport service under which children had been carried free up to school age. The result of the inquiry, which had ,. not been concluded at the time of going to press, will not be known for a week or two.
OPERATORS SHOULD HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF ROUTES.
ETTERS protesting against restricLa tions on coach operation, and which purported to give the views of the general public against the combine companies, were handed to the NorthWestern Traffic Commissioners at a Manchester sitting, last week, in support of an application by Messrs. W.. Knowles and Sons, of Bolton, for permission to run more vehicles at wake and other holiday periods.
For the applicants, it was admitted that, although they owned Only foie' vehicles, they were the only independent operators having a kiosk at the Bolton bus station, and they were able to cater for as many as 24 coach. loads by booking passengers for othet operators.
There was opposition by the railway companies. Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., and the ' Lancashire United Transport and Power Co., Ltd. The Commissioners' refused the extra vehicles on the ground that the evidence was insufficient.
An important aspect of the hearing was that Sir William Chamberlain, Chairman of the Commissioners, made the announcement that it was the duty of all excursion and tours operators to have personal knowledge of routes.
It was revealed that mutes had been wrongly numbered in the official journals, year after year, without discovery. until the " Ribble " company took over Messrs. Christie's business: