Bournemouth Coach Park Fight D ISTRESSED women, loaded down with luggage,
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dragging theirchildren along, searching the streets frantically for coaches to take them home from holiday in Bournemouth. This, Chief Constable S. Bennett told the chairman of the South Eastern Traffic Commis-sioncrs on Tuesday, was the peak summer Saturday picture around Avenue Road coach station.
• He was supporting the town council's application to vary conditions attaching to coach operators' licences and backings. The council proposed to shift the coach terminal to King's Park, 2+ miles away from the town centre.
Twenty-five objectors were listed, -including the Bristol Tramways and _Carriage Co., Ltd., Don Everall, Ltd., Duval and Sons, Ltd., George Ewer and Co., Ltd., the Passenger Vehicle Operators' Association, the Public Transport Association, Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society, Ltd., Smith's Luxury Coaches (Reading), Ltd., A. Timpson and Sons, Ltd., Valliant Direct Coaches, Ltd., and the United Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd.
Mr. IL J. Thom, chairman, holding the inquiry on behalf of the Minister of Transport, said that the Minister's decision • would be withheld until either it was apparent no appeal would be forthcoming against the decision to vary conditions, or, should an appeal be lodged, until the Minister determined this.
Mr. N. J. Fox-Andrews, Q.C., for the 'council, said the King's Park site was suitable. The proposal had nothing to do with excursion and tours coaches. The proposed station would take about 400 vehicles, From Avenue Road, passengers had to walk up to a quarter of a mile to corporation buses to reach .hotels and boarding houses. The corporation would run a shuttle service past King's Park to connect with other services.
. The proposal was to relieve chaotic traffic conditions in the town 'centre. _King's Park could be said to be geographically the centre of the borough.
The Chief Constable said that there was no room at Avenue Road for all coaches on peak Saturdays. "Hotels and boarding houses complained about their entrances being blocked by the coaches, passengers sitting on their garden walls and litter dropped into their gardens.
"Conditions are chaotic. Apart from the congestion in the park, the highway becomes blocked by cars and taxis bringing in or picking up coach passengers, and the bus services using that road."
Questioned by Mr. Edgar S. Fay, representing a number of objectors, the witness said that day-trip coaches using another park for setting-down and picking-up also added to the traffic chaos.
Mr. Fay: "More private cars and less coaches, that is your idea, is it not?"
The reply was that a shortage of car parks was a big contributor to Bournemouth's traffic problems.
The hearing was adjourned.