THE FIRST REAL COACH STATION
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To he Opened at .Easter and Every Convenii °dation for 100 Vehicles ngers and Drivers.
N0 DOUBT the time is rapidly approaching when most of the popular seaside holiday resorts will have a motor ,00ach Station. The severity of local by-laws for the regulation of coach traffic, particularly in regard to loading and unloading arrangements, and the difficulty of procuring garage accommodation within the town or within a distance convenient to passengers, are both of them factors which have been exercising the minds of coach proprietors. After the swarming invasion of some of the seaside towns last summer, some authorities have drafted regulations stipulating what drivers must and must. not do. For instance, half-way through last summer, owing to the tomplaints from the residents of the north end of Blackpool, coaches were debarred from using that end of the town as a destination, Consequently, they flocked to the south end. Many of them discharged and picked up their passengers in certain. convenient thoroughfares, but this year, we understand, the practice of loading up in the streets will
be forbiddeu. ,
131ackpool, therefore, is to have a motor coach station. The idea is not entirely, new, for last summer Bucks Swift fleet inaugurated a station at Manchester, but this was merely a booking-office, cloak-room, café, and general inquiry office, in the centre of the city—a point at which coaches started or concluded their journeys. But the Blackpool station is on a more ambitious scale, and it is expected to be in use by Easter.
, The site is the piece of ground bounded by Back Street, Marshall Street, Middle Street, and Lancaster Avenue, one minute's walk from the promenade, and the building in the centre of the ground is already in the hands of the contractors, who are adapting it according to the plans we reproduce. As a matter of fact, the builders' men came on the scene and commenced work on the day of our visit. In an interview with Mr. J. H. Shaw, of Messrs. Shaw's Depositories, Ltd., the pro. motel's of the scheme, it was stated that, whilst the drawing of the station which appeared in one of the London daily newspapers was highly imaginative, the firm had in mind a development of the present scheme, which might possibly e.ost some £30,000 or £40,000, but, of cOurse, not yet. They were now merely taking the_plunge, and were endeavouring na ultimately to eater for passengers and coach owners in a way that they should be catered for.
Besides providing garage and repair facilities, the firm also intend to act as passenger booking agents. In this connection we asked Mr. Shaw how, in view of the absence of uniformity in the passenger mileage rates, the amount of the fare would be determined.He explained that, by direct communication with coach owners, -they hoped to be able to establish the tiesof closest co-operation with them. They did not intend to work on the
basis of a schedule of fares of their own, but would book passengers according to the recognized charges of individual coach owners. "People come to Blackpool to stay for a few days' holiday," said Mr. Shaw, "and, in the absence of return booking facilities, they almost invariably return by train. We want to develop the returnby-coach method instead. We intend to make ourselves as well known to the public as to the motor coach proprietors, because we shall cater for both in the best way possible. Return fares will, of course, be the same as the fares into Blackpool, and we shall work on •a commission basis."
As is well known, during the summer months, many hundreds of coaches visit Blaekpool every week, this resort being the favourite venue for the 'industrial population of Lancashire and the east side of Yorkshire. When the building is altered and arrangements are completed, vehicles arriving at the station will enter the ground and draw up at the main entrance and unload their passengers at that part of the building marked A in the accompanying photograph and described as "unloading space" on the plan, giving access to the cafe, business offices, lavatories, cloak-rooms, etc.—the passenger department being on the left and the mechanics' department, repair shops, inspection pit., petrol store, on the right. This design has been prepared by Mr. Halstead, Best, of 1,. South King Street, Blackpool, who has had much previous experience in the preparation of plans for motor parks and garages.
It is an interesting fact that, at the present time, the Blackpool Corporation also has under consideration a scheme for a motor coach station. Inquiries at the borough. surveyor's office led one to believe that it was on a still mere ambitious scale and "resembled a, racegourse " in design ; but, in other quarters, Much less importance was attached to it. The Commercial Motor has been informed that the Corporation scheme is only in the committee stage, and, whilst at the municipal offices there is a reluctance to enter into detail or even to discuss theprobability of the Council going ahead with their plans, it is believed, now that private enterprise has got to work, that the municipal scheme will -be dropped.
The Blackpool motor coach station is intended to combine the facilities of an up-todate railway station and all its appurtenances with a pronounced regard for all personal comfort and convenience. In various parts of the country where open-air parks for coaches have been in use they have not been outstanding successes owing to the absence °if cloakrooms, inquiry office, etc. Blackpool had an open-air park last year, but it was simply a terminus of the journey ; sometimes a very muddy one at that, and nothing MOM.
The plans of Mr. Best, which, have been -approved by the Building Plans Committee • of the Corporation, mark a big advance in coaching comfort. In the first place the site of the station is -within one minute's walk of the Central Station., the busy shopping centre off Central Drive, and the promenade in the other plirection. A passenger missing a train to Liverpool. or Manchester is likely to find the coach station very. .convenient. As for passengers arriving at the coach station, desiring to get to the north or other parts of the town, Messrs.. Shaw intend to inaugurate a service of taxicabs. The station buildings, which were formerly a saw. mill, will be reconstructed, so Mr. Halstead Best informed our representative, on lines similar to several other depots for motor vehicles designed by him. Because of its easy accessibility from all parts of the district, the motor coach station premises to become the recognized rendezvous for coach traffic. As showing how central is the site, it may be mentioned that the station is within a few seconds of Central:Road, along Which come the vehicles from the Preston road on the south, vehicles come from-Lytham and St. AnnO's along:the Central Drive, and also an the north from Fleetwood. The coaches are to be p:arked round the boundaries of the site, and • this
• will be done in such a manner that any
vehicle (with the few exceptions shown ott the plan) will be able to move out along the main :passage without interfering with other vehicles. There will be a covered space for about 10 or 12 coaches at the rear of the station, and part of this, space has already, we understand, been. let to coachowners coming into Blackpool regularly. After passengers have been unloaded, the coach will proceed to a berth allocated to it by the cletk of the booking office. We surmise that the numbers of these berths, destinations, and owners of the •coaches will be posted in the passenger waiting rooms so that' they can locate, without any inquiry, the position of the coach immediately prior to setting off on the return trip. Arriving passengers will have the use of the waitingrooms, cafe, and cloak-rooms, where they may leave surplus clothing, luggage, etc., for a small fee. There will be adequate ablutionary facilities, and about 10 lavatories will be provided.' Chocolates, sweets, tobacco, tea, sandwiches, cakes, and the whole gamut of eating-house fancies will be on sale at. the caf6. In the coach department stocks of spare parts, oils, etc...—in fact, any-, thing. that the driver may need—will be kept.. The Station will be open day and night, and will have A 24-hour day repair staff. Drivers will have facilities for satisfying their personal needs, and there will be an inspection pit, repair shop, and stores.
It is proposed that the station should also be used ;by local motor Coach proprietors. for •short. tours from Bla.ckpool, thus abolishing the street stands.
The local 'proprietors fear much 'loss of business from this abolition of their privileges,.