Tees-side Bus Dispute is Settled
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THE quarrel between United Auto1 mobile Services, Ltd., and the Teesside Railless Traction Board over providing buses for expanding council estates on South Tees-side, was settled by the Northern Traffic Commissioners on Monday. The two operators had previously been unable to come to a mutual agreement about the services.
Mr. D. S. Deacon, United's traffic manager, claimed that their existing services could be diverted to benefit the increased population in the area. Local services had already been hit by British Railways' new Diesel trains, and the chinpany had still nial recovered from last year's strike.
Cross-examined by• Mr. E. C. Parr, Town Clerk of Middlesbrough, for the Traction Board, Mr. Deacon said United doubled their services through South Bank in 1946 because of normal post-war expansion, and not because the Traction Board had put in applications to run to Wilton and Dormanstown.
After a lengthy hearing, Mr. J. A. 1. Hanlon, chairman, said the Traction Board's application for a new service between Eston and Middlesbrough would be refused, although the Commissioners felt that additional services might be justified within a year; Meanwhile, if the Board asked for a diversion of their present Middlesbrough to Eston service, this might be favourably considered.
• United would be allowed to vary the route of their 72/73 service in the Eston area, but with only one bus an hour.
• HALIFAX BUS EXPERIMENT A SUCCESS
A THROUGH service experiment, .1-1. which was inaugurated last March by Halifax Corporation, has proved a success, the Yorkshire Traffic Conimissinners heard last week. Mr. M. Scott, for the corporation and Halifax Joint timnibus Committee, said if the arrangements were made permanent, 40-50,000 additional miles would be run each year without extra cost through the withdrawal of six buses.
I-1e said confirmation of the amendments to 26 stage-carriage licences were being sought, although on most of them the alterations would be minor ones. The most important aim was to secure approval of three through services and the .reorganization of the Mixenden and Wheatley Valley service.
Maj. F. S. Eastwood, chairman, said only five of the original 14 objectors had attended, and they had criticized the proposals in detail. The Commissioners' decision would be announced later.
ROADS OVER RAILWAYS?
WHEN proposals for new or improved VI' roads were examined, the possibility of building over existing railways was taken into consideration, Mr. Harold Watkinson, Minister of Transport, said last week. So far, other methods had proved to be more practicable, but he would continue to keep the idea in mind.