bird's eye view
Page 42
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by the Hawk • On the air
If you happen to be one of the thousands of drivers in and around London between 7 am and 9 am this morning then you were perhaps unconsciously the subject of a New Yorktype traffic operation. Unconsciously, that is, if you did not have a car radio. A few hundred feet above the traffic jams of London's inner approach roads Douglas Cameron from BBC Radio 4 and Jack Wilcocks of the RAC road reports department were observing traffic build-ups from a Radiomobile helicopter. As the traffic builds up they relayed the material to the BBC Radio 4 programme Today who in turn relayed it to road users who had radios fitted to their vehicles. It would be interesting to know if radio-equipped buses and commercial vehicles benefited from the service.
• No Bullion for Bullens
Do you remember when New Scotland Yard did a moonlight removal from its old headquarters on the Embankment? One night it was there, next morning all gone. It must have been one of the quietest removals on record and it was carried out by Bullens Transport. We only heard about it after it was all over.
It seems that Bullens have left the Softly, softly business but they are still very much in the high-security removals business. Having recently removed the secrets of the Stock Exchange a few hundred yards along Cornhill, last Friday they started a 72-hour operation moving the First National City Bank from Moorgate to the Strand. There was not a Jesse James or a Sundance Kid in sight but then, as Bullens pointed out, neither was there any BULLION.
• Bus jaunt
Believe it or not there are still apparently some people in this world without motor cars, although when you are stuck in a rush hour traffic jam you wouldn't think so. Nevertheless, Viking Motors of Burtonupon-Trent are convinced that there is a sufficient number of such a breed left to justify them running tours of Britain's most complex motorway interchanges — "Spaghetti junction" — officially known as the Midland links motorway.
John Holmes, the company's manager, believes that so many old people see the motorways on television that they would like to experience the thrill of riding on them. Strangely, he hopes to attract other road users to ride in his tours coach and learn how to tackle the complicated intersection. Oddly enough, I have never thought it difficult, I must take a closer look on my next trip North.
An application for half-day tours by Viking Motors is being considered by the West Midland Traffic Commissioners. If this junction is as complicated as it is made out to be, perhaps I ought to join the tour — at 65p it will be experience cheaply bought.
• Looking ahead
There's nothing quite like preplanning to ensure success — but how's this for prepreplanning? We have been offered a 1936 Diamond T 3-ton lorry for our Christmas road test. The vehicle is being restored by Ray Horton of Stallings Lane, Kingswinford, Staffs. It seems that only one thing is holding up Ray's efforts: he needs two wheel discs. In fact his need is so great that he is prepared to take them in any condition and will be happy to collect them or arrange for their collection from any part of the United Kingdom.
Ray, a regular subscriber to Commercial Motor since his childhood, is a real enthusiast so if you have the wheel discs give him a ring at Kingswinford 3628. And how's this for enthusiasm? He invites you to reverse the charges.
• Nostalgia
Do you remember this type of bus ticket? II you do, it's possibly later than you think. It fact it was used back in the early Thirtie5 and will come into service again on April E on London's new route 100 running betweer Horseguards' Avenue, Whitehall, Trafalgai Square, the West End and Victoria Embank ment. But not on a 1972 bus. For the firs time since the Thirties an open staircas4 vintage bus sponsored by Johnnie Walke will re-enter scheduled service. Londoi Transport personnel and directors o Johnnie Walkers, the sponsors, will attend launching cere mony on Marcl 23 and the bus viil carry press men oi a 10-minute rid' the same morning Perhaps the ticke is not as old as 2 thought. Two o our young ladies— well I thought the: were young—con fess to remembet ing them.
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A 0324 LONDON TRANSPORT' VINTAGE BUS SERVICE ROUTE100
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