CORPORATION AGREES—PROVIDED CONDITIONS MET
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Lowestoft set to sell out to Eastern Counties Omnibus Co.
BY DEREK MOSES
LOWESTOFT Town Council last week approved the disposal of the town's bus system to the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co. Ltd., subject to satisfactory conditions being reached. The town clerk has been instructed to appoint a consultant to act on behalf of the Corporation. Mr. W. R. Tyrrell, general manager of the transport undertaking, retires next month and it has been decided not to replace him.
Administration will be transferred to the borough treasurer's department, while the borough engineer will be responsible for maintenance.
Lowestoft Corporation Transport operates 15 double-decker buses on one main route through the town and the possibility of co-ordinating this service with those of Eastern Counties has been considered for some time.
However a report by the town clerk stated that there was no scope for joint service arrangements, and recommended a complete sell-but of the undertaking.
Eastern Counties would be asked to produce a. plan for a completely new system of routes in the Lowestoft area.
Mr. Tyrrell told me this week that he was anxious that no employee of the undertaking should suffer under a switch to the Eastern Counties company and conditions of employment, fares to be charged, and so on must be thoroughly ironed out before any take-over was finally approved.
Meanwhile copies of the town clerk's report have been sent to all interested parties including the unions and the new regional passenger transport co-ordinating committee.
PTCC ASKS FOR IDEAS
THE South-West Passenger Transport Coordinating Committee has invited the public to put forward ideas for the improvement of public transport in the region.
The Committee will approach all operators and councils within the region, and will stress the urgency of bringing to its notice any instances of defective co-operation, or co-ordination, or cases where transport is failing to meet public demand.
In addition to studying and advising on transport arrangements in the region, the committee will be able to seek early improvements in such matters as through tickets and co-ordination of time tables and traffic management.
SPEED-THE-BUSES MOVE
BRISTOL's traffic committee has approved regulations prohibiting waiting in the vicinity of 36 bus stops and junctions to speed up public transport—despite protests from car-owners, traders and businessmen.
ANOTHER 10 Daimler Roadliner coaches have been ordered by Black and White Motorways Ltd., Cheltenham. The new chassis will feature Metalastik toggle-link rubber suspension, developed by Daimler engineers in conjunction with two Other BET operators, Midland Red and Potteries Motor Traction Co. Ltd. Black and White. already operates eight Plaxton-bodied Roadliner coaches, one of which was entered in the Blackpool and Brighton coach rallies, where it gained the titles of National Coach of 1967 and 1967 Coach of the Year respectively.
Daimler has also had another repeat order from Northampton Corporation Transport for five CVG6 double-deckers, again with bodywork by Chas. H. Roe Ltd., Leeds.
RECORD GUY BUS AND COACH EXPORTS
DURING APRIL Guy Motors Ltd. exported more than £120,000 worth of passenger vehicles —a record for the company since it became a member of the Jaguar group six years ago. This represents nearly a quarter of all Guy vehicles delivered in that month.
Five different models made up these exports-Arab Mk.V, Conquest, Victory UF, Victory Trambus and Warrior Trarribus. They went to Belgium, Greece, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa and Spain.
THE Greater London Council will be asked at its next meeting to approve the appointment of a Traffic Commissioner for London at a salary of £7,250.
His , duties will include control over traffic flow and the enforcement of waiting and loading restrictions, operating and maintaining signal systems, controlling traffic police functions, measures for pedestrian circulation, the operation of parking meters and the regulation of bus stopping places and routings and road works.
The new post will be within the highways and transportation department, under the director, Mr. Peter Stott. This department will be reorganized in three sections—one for• administration, another for research, policy and liaison and the third for construction. Heads of the three branches will work under a chief executive, another new post (7,250) it is proposed to create for the general co-ordination of the department's many other activities in liaison with the Traffic C ommissioner.
FRECLUENCY CUT BID
UNITED AUTOMOBILE SERVICES LTD., and the Tynemouth and District Transport Co. Ltd., are seeking permission to reduce the frequency of bus services between Whitley Bay, Blyrh, North Shields and Newcastle-on-Tyne. The firms want to cut the 10-minute service after 6 p.m. on weekdays and on most of Sunday to 15 minutes.
ARETURN to trams for Sheffield —which abandoned them more than six years ago—has been recommended in a survey sent to the Minister of Transport by the York shire and Humberside Economic Planning Council.
The study was carried out by a research team from Sheffield University who support this suggestion with three arguments:— That these trains would operate on segregated tracks, thus avoiding congestion; that modern single-deck articulated electric trams can carry up to 300 passengers compared with 70 or 80 in the older type of double-decker; and that the modern tram with lightweight construction and improved suspension can offer fast, comfortable and quiet service.
The team envisages an integrated tram-bus network with buses serving outer areas and long-distance routes. it also recommends that the tramway should go underground where necessary.
A spokesman for Sheffield City Transport told COMMERCIAL MOTOR that the team's report had not yet been received by the City Council. When it was received it would be considered by the appropriate committees.
The council would have to consider the overall implications: would such a system be sufficiently flexible?—could it be justified on economic grounds?
The council, said the spokesman, was "always considering the possibility of new forms of transport".
Trades Council to fight fares rise
WORKINGTON (West Cumberland) Trades " Council last week agreed to support the local authority in its protest against proposed fare increases by Cumberland Motor Services of Whitehav en.
Mr. R. Carruthers, alleging that the public were being "taken for a ride in more ways than one", recalled the last fares increase of about a year ago and said: "The reason the fares were increased was a three per cent pay award to employees, yet this was reflected in a 10 to 20 per cent increase in some fares. It is time we took a stand against these 20 to 25 per cent fares increases."
The Trades Council agreed to send a representative to the Traffic Commissioners' hearing in June.
EMPTY SATURDAYS
NORTHERN GENERAL TRANSPORT CO. has been granted permission to reduce the frequency of certain Tyneside services on Saturday evenings because in some cases there were only four passengers in 77-seater buses. Mr. J. A. T. Hanlon, chairman of the Northern Traffic Commissioners, approving the application, said no firm could operate on such a basis.
MINI-BUS SERVICE ENDS
BECAUSE it had been running at a loss, Mr. D. J. Gray, of Ampleforth, last Saturday ended his 11-month-old two-vehicle mini-bus service between the Yorkshire market town of Hemsley and Brandsby village.
Traffic control by computer for Glasgow
GLASGOW is to have a traffic control computer before the end of' this year. The Government is meeting the major part of the cost, estimated at Lim.
Taking part in the experiment, the main object of which is to ease traffic congestion in the city centre, will be the Road Research Laboratory and Strathclyde University.
The traffic concerned in the experiment will be spread over about a square mile of the central shopping and business area of the city, including four of the bridges over the Clyde. About 80 traffic signals will be connected to a myriad digital computer.
Mr. J. O'Sullivan, convener of the Corporation highways committee, said Glasgow had been chosen for the experiment because the Corporation had shown greater interest in traffic control than any other city in the CR..
COMPLAINT ON BUS SUBSIDY 'MISLEADING'
THE COMPLAINT in the British Railways Board annual report (CM last week) that the cost of subsidizing bus services "should not be in a railway commercial account" was described as "most misleading" by the British Omnibus Companies public relations committee.
Mr. Peter Yorke, the committee's national director, said: "The statement is most misleading because the only bus services subsidized by the railways are those provided at their request in order to replace abandoned rail services_ Moreover a subsidy is only paid where the operating costs of the substituted bus services are not covered by the revenue from fares".
More ECW/Bristoia for Luton: Luton Corporation transport committee has recommended acceptance of the tender of Eastern Coach Works Ltd. for the supply of bodies for five additional Bristol RE single-decker chassis now on order.
FAILURE FORECAST FOR GIANT SYSTEM
MIDDLESBROUGH'S deputy transport manager, Mr. R. C. Jenkins, told the Ormesby Ratepayers' Association last week that any attempt to set up a massive new system of public transport when Greater Tees-side was formed would be doomed to failure. "It will not be helpful to create operating organizations that are too large to be efficient, and so intricate that their inefficiency cannot be properly localized and corrected," he said.
He doubted whether the aims of Newcastle for example who were thinking of units of 1,500 vehicles or more would be workable and thought units of the size and nature of the new Teesside Transport Authority—about 250 vehicles would represent great progress in an industry that had not moved with the speed of modem industry in general.
PLEA FOR LOWER TAY TOLLS
A PLEA for a reduction in Tay Road Bridge p.s.v. tolls was made in the Commons last week by Mr. Peter Doig (Labour, Dundee West) after Dr. Dickson Mabon, Minister of State at the Scottish Office, had said that about 1,900 vehicles above the estimated 4,000 were crossing the bridge each day.
Dr. Mabon pointed out that the Scottish Secretary could not review this matter until August, when the joint board had to be consulted first, and other representations listened to.
BONUS FOR 450
ABOUT 450 men in the engineering department of Newcastle on Tyne transport undertaking have received a bonus, back-dated to the beginning of the year, of 18s. a week. Because it was proposed before the economic standstill, it is not subject to the freeze.
LUT Profit Down: The report of Lancashire United Transport Ltd. for the year ending December 31 1966 shows that net profit after taxation was £137,350, compared with £157,551 for 1965.