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Operating Aspects of
Page 112
Page 113
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Passenger Transport
FINED ON ILLEGAL BRAKE TESTS
A LTHOUGH the police admitted that they caused a bus to be overladen and that they had no authority to test brakes, Messrs. W. L. Silcox and Sons, of Pembroke Dock, were fined 10s. at the local court for permitting the use of a vehicle with defective foot brakes, and the driver was fined a similar amount for using the bus.
Two police offiters stopped the vehicle to check the number of passengers and found it to be fully laden. They then boarded the bus, admittedly causing it to be overladen, and tested the brakes on a hill. The hand brake was entirely satisfactory, but the foot brakes were said to be inadequate. The police admitted that they had no power to make the test.
Mr. W. Silcox described the test with an overladen vehicle on 4 Icing gradient as unfair, foolish and dangerous. The firm had never received a complaint from the authorized examiners, who always tested brakes with unladen vehicles and over short distances. A garage proprietor gave evidence that the brake facing was in fair and serviceable condition.
TILLING'S FINED FOR RUNNING IN LONDON.
Monday, Thomas Tilling, Ltd.,
1A4S fined £10, with £10 10s. costs, for operating an express carriage within London Transport's special area, without the Board's written consent. The prosecution explained that the practice had developed of providing special coaches to carry patrons from one speedway stadium to another.
On a certain occasion, a loud-speaker broadcast was made at Harringay Stadium, members of the Supporters Club being told that they could book seats that night for a visit to West Ham Stadium, three days later. Two inspectors of London Transport, who were not members of the club, obtained tickets and travelled to West Ham.
The prosecution contended that the vehicle was an express carriage and that the party was not of the private class, because there had been previous advertisement.
Mr. St. John Morrow, Stipendiary Magistrate, held that the vehicle was used as an express carriage.
LANCS BOARD PLAN FAILS.
FOR the second time, the proposal to form a joint transport board for south-east Lancashire and north-east Cheshire has fallen through. This announcement was made on Monday, at a meeting of representatives of municipalities, road-transport companies and the L.M.S. and L.N.E. Railways.
BUS TOURS FORBIDDEN.
KINCARDINE County Council has made an order that no vehicle with more than seven seats . may :travel through Drumtochty-Glen. Mr. Riches, chairman of the Northern Scotland Traffic Commissioners, last week warned operators to remember this restriction.
OPERATORS' AND PUBLIC INTERESTS IDENTICAL.
THAT the real interests of any re sponsible road 'operator and the interests of the public are identical, was the considered opinion given by Sir Henry Piggott, chairman of the SouthEastern Commissioners, at Ryde.
Strong objection to reorganized services and routes proposed by the Southern Vectis Co., Ltd.. following its acquisition of " The Pioneer Service," was made by both Ryde Corporation and residents along proposed new routes. Mr. R. G. Wakeling explained to the Commissioners thathis company could now visualize the borough and its transport requirements as a whole, and considered it a duty to reorganize and improve the public services.
Sir Henry Piggott stated that careful thought had been given to the subject by the company and it had made a genuine effort to overcome admitted inequalities of services.
The Commissioners deplored, however, the fact that there had, in this case, been no preliminary consultations between Ryde Corporation and the Vectis company. The town council had a duty to consider resurfacing and the alteration to cambers on High Street. Unilateral parking or one-way traffic routes could also be considered. The present conditions constituted a nuisance and possibly a public danger.
TWO RULINGS ON PICKING-UP POINTS
DURING 'Vie hearing of applications by coach operators at Liverpool, Mr. W. Chamberlain, chairman of the North-Western Traffic Commissioners, made two ,important points.
Dealing with the general question of picking-up points, he said : "I think I should repeat a view we. gave some time ago, that we see no reason why an excursion and tour man, having an originating point at A, should not pick up—provided that he does not perambulate on side roads—at A, B, C, up to Z. so long as the public using the service is convenienced. The overriding factor, of course, is that the pickingup points should not impinge upon other people's originating points."
Referring to applications for variations in excursion and tour licences, he said: "In the case of services originating in Bootle and catering for Bootle people, they (operators) will not tie allowed a picking-up point in the centre
of Liverpool as a modification. It must be put on a new service basis, and a separate licence applied for."
KEIGHLEY STATION PLAN PASSED.
AFIER the submission of a plan for the layout of a bus station by Mr. J. C. Dean, general manager of the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., and a director of Keighley-West Yorkshire Services; Ltd., Keighley magistrates, last week, decided to allow (with £5 5s. costs) the appeal of Yorkshire Theatres, Ltd., against a decision of Keighley Corporation to purchase compulsorily certain property. The original hearing was reported in The Commercial Motor dated February 19.
The corporation stated that the site was required to extend the Townfielid. Gate bus station.
" In our opinion, Keighley-West Yorkshire Services, Ltd., is actually providing a parking place, and not the corporation." said the chairman. The fact that the corporation was a shareholder in the company did not affect the position.
During the five years ending 1942, Middlesbrough Town Council plans to spend £75,000 on new rolling stock.
LONDON TROLLEYBUS BILL IN COMMONS
ON Tuesday, a Select Committee of the House of Commons, presided over by Sir David Reid, commenced to consider the London Passenger Transport Board Bill, which seeks to authorize the conversion of the whole of the London tramways to trolleybus working. Although .there are many petitions against the Bill, the main point of controversy is the proposal to run trolleybuses along Victoria Embank
ment, • Mr. Tyldesley Jones, KC., for the Board, stated that previous Acts had authorized the conversion of 219 miles of tramways, and that 107 miles of trolleybus routes were now open.
Mr. Frank Pick, vice-chairman of the Board, stated that the present measure dealt with 132 miles of tramways. Some 70 to 80 miles of route depended on the use of Victoria Embankment by trolleybuses. If permission to turn on the Embankment were refused, it would be necessary to make a 2/-mile circuit and, said Mr. Pick, it would be folly to operate under those conditions.
FEEDER CARS CAUSE UNFAIR COMPETITION. •
AT Bristol, last week, Mr. A. F. Nicholson, chairman of the Western Traffic Commissioners, described as unfair competition the practice of an excursion operator hiring private cars to bring passengers to a
coach stand. An applicant for the renewal of his excursion and tour licence stated that he charged 6d. for the hire of a car to carry passengers from their homes to the coach station.
For an objector, it was submitted that this constituted unfair competition, an argument With which Mr. Nicholson agreed, The chairman pointed out that this practice afforded an advantage over other operators, who were not in a position to provide such facilities. The Commissioners, he added, were considering whether to refuse the licence.
BIG TROLLEYBUS PLAN MOOTED.
TTANSPORT authorities in the West A Riding might find it well worth while to consider whether a big joint scheme for the operation of trolleybuses could not be arranged, suggested Mr. C. D. Taite, chairman of the council of the British Electrical Development Association, in a speech at Leeds.
NORTH STAFFS BILL FAILURE DISAPPOINTS TRADERS.
DOTTERIES traders, as repre
sented by Hanley Traders Association, are dissatisfied with the rejection of the North Staffordshire Transport Board Bill.
At the Association's annual dinner, last week, several speakers referred, with regret, to the failure of the measure, and the president stated that, although the population had increased by 5,000-6,000, no extra buses had been provided in the north of the city. He added that there was a danger of a monopoly in road-passenger transport being created.
Another speaker suggested that a joint committee of local authorities should be set up to appeal to the Traffic Commissioners for improved services.
S.M.T. STRIKE GAINS NATIONAL HOLD
mint the spreading as far north a VV Aberdeen of the strike of employee of the Scottish Motor Traction Co Ltd., and subsidiary companies, th stoppage became a national issue. A reported last week, the demonstratio commenced on March 9.
It was announced last Saturday tha the Transport and General Worker Union would not recognize the strik as official, that no strike pay would b available, and that the men shoul return to work. As a result of thi policy, it was expected that the striker would leave the union and form a. organization of their own.
The S.M.T. management refused t reopen negotiations until the me. resumed work, and then only with th union. The company pointed out tha to concede the men's request v,-oul, cost an additional £45,000 a year, an that, with rising expenses, a reductioi of unremunerative services and of stai might become necessary.
The stoppage was referred to, las week, by Mr. Archibald Henderson chairman of the Sbuthern Scotian, Commissioners, and Mr. Henry Riches chairman of the Northern Scotlani Commissioners. -They. expressed thei willingness to assist the situation on ; purely unofficial basis.
A delegate conference at Edinburgh on Tuesday, decided to continue th, strike, although in some districts rnei resumed work on.. Wednesday. 1 further conference will be held to-ft]
(Friday). No action has yet beer 'taken by the Commissioners.