DARTFORD TUNNEL'S FIRST YEAR
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WELL over 4+m. vehicles used the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel under the Thames in its first year of operation, which was completed on Wednesday of this week. The tunnel joint committee reports that the pre-paid ticket experiment has been a success and more than half the commercial traffic now using the tunnel does so on this basis.
There were nearly 270 breakdowns in the tunnel during the first 12 months (including a 3,500-gallon petrol tanker which ran out of fuel!) and the average time taken to recover a vehicle from mid-tunnel with the special recovery fleet has been about six minutes. There have only been three or four accidents and no personal injuries.
Abnormal loads have made great use of the tunnel, those of up to 912 ft. wide
being accommodated with only partial closure of the opposing carriageway; the broadest load taken through so far was a 20-ft.-wide piece of equipment for the new Tilbury power station. Loads such as this require complete closure of' the tunnel.
The upper speed limit has recently been raised from 30 m.p.h. to 40 m.p.h.
New Simms Branch : Replacing the existing premises, a new branch of Simms Motor Units Ltd. will be opened officially by Mr. G. E. Liazdet, chairman and managing director, at 2/4 Athol Street, Liverpool 5, on December 2. Located on the main Northern route from the city centre, the new branch has covered workshops to accommodate commercial vehicles, and there are diesel and auto-electric servicing and repair workshops and a large store. Management of this resited branch continues in the hands of Mr J. H. Marcroft.