MOTOR COACH DOINGS AND DEVELOPMENTS,
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Matters of Topical Interest to Proprietors of Chars-a-bancs.
The C,M.U.A. and Coach Traffic.
FURnit to the formation of a new division of the C.M.U.A. for Devon and Cornwall, which is reported on page 621 of this issue, Captain F. G. Bristow, who had one or two important things to say in the interests of commercial vehicle ilSer5, said that much of the criticism which has been levelled at car-a-bance traffic was against the .actual passenger over whom the charbebanas owner himself had little or no control.
The C.M.U.A has been considering for some time past the recommendations of all char-a-banes nsers, and at a conference held at Olympia in October authority had been given to the Association to deal with the Government on char-a-banes matters on behalf of char -banes users, and the National Council is at the present time in communication with the Ministry of Transport to ensure the minimum of restrictions upon charh-banee traffio in the scheme of regulations about to be framed, and, in particular, upon the following matters
(a) No restrictions of route uponfirstclass or seeood•class rdads.
(b) No restrictions of route on thirdclass Toads until the difficulties have been considered by a joint committee of the local authorities aod the C.M.U.A. charb.-banes section.
One-way traffic to be adopted where necessary on agreed lines. Passingplaces and local widening to be made where necessary.
A standardized minimum of motor born to be settled as regards pitch and carrying power.
(f) The class of indicator to be adopted for the guidance of drivers coming from, a distance, to convey to theni the local regulations And point or points of con, trot
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(0) (a) (o)
Midland Saloon Bus Services.
Notts. and Derbyshire Services of the • Trent Motor Traction Co.
IN THE light of present excellent arrangements of motorbus traffie, it s seems a little difficult to .realize that, until a comparatively recent period, a considerable number of the Entailer towns and villages which fall within the widely scattered areas of which Nottingham and Derby are the main centres ' was wholly unprovicled for in the matter of up-to-date road facilities.
It ha s fallen to the Trent Motor Traetion Co., Ltd., to—effect a /evolution, which has been admira.bly planned, in the public interest, and already attended with a measure of success which presents
possibilitie.s of substantial expansion. Belated railway services for essentially local purposes have long placed the inhabitants of many of the country places in Notts. and Derbyshire ir. a hopelessly inconvenient state; and, -whilst the rapidly extending enterprise of the' Treat Co. has extricated them from an undesirable plight, it has afforded to the general_ touring public ready means of reaching many of the pieturesque spots which lie within the limits of the two counties.
The scope of the company's operations also includes portions of Leicestershire, contiguous to the Nottinghamshire borderon the Loughborough aide. The fleet at present consists of 42 Tilling-Stevens petrol-eleetric vehicles, all being saloon buses, with a seating capacity each for 28 passengers, with the exception of three ehartea-bance de luxe, which will accommodate 30 each The route miles served by the company toclay are slightly Over 200, and an examination of the tables sho-ws a great diversity of itineraries. The Derby to Nottingham service necessarily consti. lutes one of the most important. factors in the plan, an hour and twenty minutes being in most cases occupied in the
journey, which at the Nottingham ter minus ends in Parliament Street, in con venient _proximity to the great marks place. Upon this route on-ordinary day there are ten return buses run from Derby in the Nottingham direction, will three extra on Saturday, delaying th starting time on that day from 8 oato to 9.30 a.m., but several of the be -z /on only to Borrowa.sh, those making tit through journey to Nottingham, touch tog on route at Chaddesdett, Lox* End Spondon, Berrowash, Dnayeott, Risley Sanclitaret Stapleford, groancote, ant Beeston inhabitants at the last-namei place particularly finding the vehicles o great convenience .:n the absence of tram way facilities.
On Sunday; also, the traffic hetweer Nottingham and Derby is fairiy well pro videcl for under the company's presem arrangements, there being five t&hrougl services to Nottingham on that day, thi last boa leaving Nottingham for Derby at 6.30 p.m.
Linkings up of colliery townships is Notts. and Derbyshire with the chin centres a population forms an important element in the company's' scheme, an of this an interesting illustration it afforded by the arrangements covering the district. between Nottingham anc Mansfield, in which some of the largest colliery undertakings exploited in recent years are located.
From: this. aide Mansfield is the natura: starting point for tours of the Dukes-lea with their unrivalled woodland grand eurs, just as at the other -ea(' FITorksca is the convenient place of departure ice motor coach and other traaellers iron more northerly clistiicts who desire is undertake similar excursions and at boti towns ample private enterprise -has re• oesitly developed adequate means -1)f char Aelaa.nes traffic. In addition to the beset running directly between Nottinglian and Mansfield, the latter town is alsr served by the Treat Co.'s arrangement in another direction by a seTir1Ce iron Alfretoni. • It, may be said that the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire authorities art treating the owners of motorbuses upor a quite reasonable basis of charges pea bus-mile, which vary in accordance will the nature of the roads used. Despitt the difficulties occasioned in colliery die tricts by inordinately heavy traffic Nottinghamshire roads, and particularly the main centres of communication is the north and south of the county, halo long occupied a high position for then excellent*, the maintenance of which .hat been largely contributed to by the use o: tax macadam. On four days of the week when the traffic is at its heaviest, sever buses. are being run daily by the corn. pony between Nottingham and li/lansfield averaging an hour and forty minutes or the journey each way In a completely different area, which is purely agricul tural in its character, the wants o: isolated communications lying betweer Nottingham and Loughborough are being served by a series of buses
The company, which has its Louder garage and works at 112a Jonction Road Highgate, her done much for Notting
hamehire' but its ramifications upon the Derbyshire side are extending over a far greater area, opening up both there and also towards the Staffordshire border, in the direction of -Burton-on-Trent, many picturesque-routes.
Upon the other side the needs of a considera,ble number of small townships in South Notts, are being provided for by a system, linking up Nottingham with Newark, upon a line of route in which those responsible for the management of the company's affairs have been wise enough to include Southwell.
On four days of the week four buses run between Nottingham and Newark, making the.journey in an hour and fifty. Minutes, and calling on the way at, Carl
ton, Burton Joyce, Bulcote, Lowdham, Gonalston, Thurgarton, Halloughton, Upton, Airrhaan, and Kelham, in addition to Southwell. Passengers' luggage is carried on the Lases provided it, is not of a bulky nature. In such instances arrangements are made with the local carriers to transfer the luggage on behalf of the passengers.