LATEST NEWS FROM THE TRAFFIC AREAS
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The Commissioners' Conference. INTERESTING information and contnumts concerning the conference between the chairman of Traffic Commissioners and officers of the Ministry of Transport, which has taken place since our previous issue closed for press, are contained in our leading editorial article in this issue. Such matters as the standardization of licensing conditions, the avoidance of personal appearance at the hearing of unopposed applications, difficulties of standardization of fares, the protection of local services, and the appeal system are dealt with in that editorial.
East Midland Appointments.
THE Minister of Transport announces having appointed Captain F. E. FitzHerbert Wright, J.P., and Mr. John Lea, J.P., as Assistant Commissioners. to Mr. J. H. Stirk, J.P., M.Inst.T., M.S.A.E., Chairman of the East Mid
land Traffic Commissioners. Captain FitzHerbert Wright is nominated by Derby County Council and represents the county councils, whilst Mr. Lea is nominated by Wellingborough Urban District Council and other councils to represent urban districts and county boroughs.
Two Deputy Traffic Commissioners have been appointed to represent the county councils, these being Col. Sir Lancelot Rolleston, K.C.l3., D.S.O., nominated by Nottingham County Council, and Councillor T. Lobley, nominated by Lindsey County Council. One Deputy Commissioner has been appointed for the county boroughs and urban districts, this being Councillor W. Wesson, J.P., nominated by the City of Nottingham. The clerk to the Commissioners is Mr. E. J. Shopland, Vernon House, Friars Lane, Nottingham.
A Joint Transport Committee in Lancashire.
DISCUSSIONS are in progress
between the Councils of Nelson and Colne and Burnley Corporation concerning a suggestion for setting up a joint transport committee to control the tramway and motorbus undertakings of the three authorities. Burnley Corporation has had under consideration terms upon which Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., is prepared to co-ordinate with the three authorities in regard to the proposed limited-stop bus service between Colue and Padiham.
An Appeal by the U.A.S.
IT is announced that an appeal has
been lodged by United Automobile Services, Ltd., against the Northern Commissioners' refusal of road service licences for the route between Saltburn and Stockton.
Criticism of Northern Commissioners. SUPPORT for Messrs. Orange
Brothers' application to the Northern Commissioners for permission to pick up passengers in NeWcastle for Alnwick and Bedford on the 11.30 p.m. coach from Newcastle to Glasgow is being accorded by Alnwick CounciL This council has appointed representatives to attend a joint conference which is being organized by the Bedlingten authority to discuss the administration of the Road Traffic Act in this area.
Bishop Auckland Council has decided to approach all Members of Parliament for the county of Durham, asking them to call for the repeal of the part of the Road Traffic Act which confers such farreaching powers upon the Commissioners.
Low G.W.R. Fares in Wales.
Tli recent reductions in fares by the G.W.R. Co. are stated by Merthyr Tydfil bus committee to be seriously affecting bus services, including its own. Reduced traffic receipts are said to have resulted and the committee has under consideration a scheme for reducing certain services to offset the reduced receipts. Particularly the routes connecting Merthyr with Aberfan and Treharris have suffered.
The receipts of the council's joint service with Cardiff Corporation on the Merthyr-Cardiff route having suffered from the advent of private services on the route, the committee has decided to terminate its agreement for the pooling of receipts with Cardiff Corporation and tp work on its own.
West Midland Local Conditions.
LOCAL authority conditions decided upon by the West Midland Commissioners for the county borough of Walsall are announced in gazette 42. The routes and halts for express carriages are separately enumerated according to whether the services (including regular lines, excursions and tours) emanate from Walsall or not. Other local conditions were announced as follow :— Leamington and Warwick, gazette 23; Burton, gazette 23; Wellington, gazette 32; West Bromwich, gazette 35; Oakengates, gazette 35; Coventry, gazette 39.
Period Excursion Returns.
THE question of permitting period return tickets on coach services covered by excursion licences has again been raised at a sitting of the North Western Commissioners last week in Manchester. On this occasion the chairman referred to the discussions that have been taking place between the Commissioners of the various Traffic Areas, with a view to considering a common line of action in regard to oneday excursion tickets and tickets extending over a longer period.
East Surrey Takes Over G.W.R. Buses.
AT the time of going to press, details are being completed concerning the taking over by the East Surrey Traction Co., Ltd., of certain bus services which hitherto have been operated by the Great Western Railway Co. from Slough. Under a temporary arrangement, the operation of certain of the G.W.R. buses by the East Surrey concern has already commenced. It is understood that the Thames Valley Traction Co., Ltd., is purchasing some of the services extending into the more rural districts.
Unopposed Applications in East Midlands Area.
AS anticipated in the paragraph
appearing in our issue for last week (page 794) regarding unopposed applications, the Commissioners of other areas are following the example of the Southern Commissioners. An announcement has just been made by the Commissioners of the East Midlands Area that, provided forms and statistical returns are properly filled in, the personal attendance of applicants at sittings, in cases where the applications are unopposed, will not be required.
Colchester's Appeal Fails.
THE appeal of Colchester Corporation
to the Minister of Transport concerning protection of the municipal services against the operations of private bus companies has been dismissed, and the corporation is to pay the costs of the appeal.
This appeal was against the refusal of the Eastern Traffic Commissioners to attach to licences granted to certain operators of bus services within the borough a condition that they should pay to the corporation a percentage of the receipts taken from passengers picked up within the borough for setting down within the borough. Further Municipal Intervention In the Midlands.
AT a recent meeting of Stoke-on-Trent watch committee, criticisms of the licensing arrangements for motorbus services in the West Midlands Area were made, and the suggestion of the Commissioners, that operators concerned in the particular routes in question should meet the watch committee, was referred to. Inadequacy of various services appears to be the main difficulty and the police are understood to be making a census of the bus traffic with a view to the preparation of a general statement which is shortly to be submitted to the Commissioners.
Municipality Asks for Penny Fares.
A CIRCULAR letter was addressed recently by Ammanford Council to the 17 bus companies plying in the urban district, requesting them to institute
penny fares within the area. It is understood that only a few of the companies have replied, still fewer agreeing to the suggestion, and it is thought that possibly the reason is that some operators are under the misapprehension that the penny fare is proposed to apply from one extremity of the urban district to the other. Actually, the suggestion is that a fare of id. should be charged from the Square, Ammanford, to any point on the urban boundary, so that the fare across the area would be 2d.
Assistant Commissioners for the North.
THE appointment is announced of Councillor Prior Allen, of Lancashire County Council, as an Assistant Commissioner for the Northern Area, replacing Councillor J, Wallace, of Durham County Council. So far, the appointment of a second Assistant Commissioner has not been announced. Councillor Allen's deputy is the Rev. W. King, of Westmorland County Council.
More About South Wales Municipal Committee.
FURTHER information is now to hand regarding the committee of local authorities in South Wales to which reference was made on page 794 of our issue for last week.
It appears that the setting up of a permanent joint committee to watch over the licensing of bus services by the Commissioners was made by Abersychan Council. In the course of discussion it was suggested that the Ministry of Transport should give local municipal committees of this kind certain powers of control over services under the jurisdiction of the Commissioners. For the present, however, the main duty of the committee will be to represent councils at the Commissioners' sittings.
'A decision was arrived at to ask the South Wales Commissioners to devote a day to the hearing of a statement by the authorities in the eastern valleys concerning various grievances in connection with existing bus services.
The Yorkshire Ticket Trouble.
THE Yorkshire Transport Association has been requested by the Traffic Commissioners for the area to submit its views on the issue of contract and weekly tickets.
In this respect the transport committee of Rotherham Corporation has decided to give expression to the view that the issue of long-period contract tickets or passes at reduced rates is not desirable and that the present system in operation in Rotherham for the issue of return tickets at an agreed reduction on the single fare, as well as bundles of discount tickets (the discount being slightly greater than the reduction on return tickets) is preferable.
Extensive Traffic Co-ordination in the North.
NEWS is to hand that the transport committee of Stockton Corporation has been in consultation with Middlesbrough and West Hartlepool Corporations, Billingham Urban District Council, United Automobile Services, Ltd., and the London and North Eastern Railway Co., in order to arrange for coordination of bus traffic.
New Buses for Paris.
WHATEVER organization may eventually control the public surface transport of Paris, the Seine Council has already decided upon an immediate increase in the bus fleet. The building of 530 new vehicles has been agreed to in principle, and 80 buses are to be put on order at once. These are to be front-entrance buses of the oneman type, in which the driver issues or stamps tickets as passengers enter. They will all incorporate the RenaultScemia six-cylinder low-frame chassis, already employed for the latest types of bus in Paris. The cost of the fleet of 530 vehicles is about 15,000,000 francs.
The question of co-ordinating underground and surface transport services has not yet been settled. Councillor NoW. Pinelli has just brought forward a participation scheme, under which the City of Paris would have a 40-per-cent. holding and the two existing transport organizations, the Metropolitan Railway and S.T.C.R.P., 30 per cent. each.