West Midlands PTE versus the car
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• A determined commitment to meet the challenge of the private car as strongly as possible is contained in the West Midlands PTE's development plan, approved by the PTA on Wednesday this week. The authors of the plan point out that the area has the highest proportion of car commuters of any conurbation in the country. But buses are to play an important part in the battle to win back passengers to public transport.
The plan looks specifically at the next five years. It admits that the present network of bus services is "confused", having been built up over a number of years under several undertakings. "The Authority and Executive are convinced that this confused situation cannot be resolved until all bus services in the area are brought under their single control," says the report. It notes that discussions between the PTE and the National Bus Company over the rationalization of Midland Red's services are continuing "with a sense of urgency". • The report points out that Midland Red's fares are "much higher" than its own and says that many of the NBC subsidiary's services have had to be curtailed because of its need to make a profit contribution to its parent company. At all costs, says the report, it is important to preserve the present system of bus services from further contraction.
"In order to develop the use of bus services it is necessary to improve the standards of reliability, convenience and comfort" On the first point the report says that the staff difficulties encountered over the past few years have been largely overcome by the conversion to one-man operation (scheduled to be completed in 1976-77). This is shown in reduced staff turnover resulting from higher standards of pay and responsibility. Also important in reliability is the control of traffic congestion. As well as the establishment of clearways and other aids to free bus movement, lorries might be banned from central Birmingham during certain hours, the report suggests.
Improving the convenience of bus services is clearly seen as a high priority. Better interchange facilities, both between rail and bus and car and bus would help together with a more effective use of the new road systems. A specially modified Metro-Scania single-decker, with many of the comforts of a long-distance coach yet retaining the easy access of a bus, is to be introduced experimentally on a service using the Aston Expressway before the end of the year.
The report comes down heavily in favour of double-deckers. A high proportion of journeys in the area are longer than five miles, so the more seated passengers the better, says the report. Double-deckers also play a part in keeping costs down as do one-man operation and better matching of services with passenger demand.
In all the plan lists seven items to be implemented in its first phase, due for completion in five years. These include: rationalization of all bus services (ending many of the present artificial boundaries); completion of the one-man-operation programme; improvement of the fleet (400 new buses by 1974); development of new services using improved road system and serving pedestrianized areas (like the Centrebus service); securing the best operating conditions (by bus priority measures) for reliable bus services and co-ordination of bus services with revitalized rail services in the region (particularly those aimed at the commuter market).
The plan also examines the railway services in the region for which the PTE, through British Railways, is responsible for operating. The plan points out that at present four commuters travel by bus for every one who uses rail. While it is intended to change this balance, the plan repeatedly points out that there is no substitute for the bus in many areas. It does, however, suggest that an underground railway would be necessary to link a series of new railway termini.
A criterion of a journey improvement time of 10 minutes has been used in establishing the pattern of future public transport services. If this, or a greater improvement, is possible then rail will be justified; anything less and the bus will be the most suitable mode.