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IDEAL DESTINATION INDICATOR?
Much Interest was Aroused in the Recent Article by Charles M. Hendy, Who Here Discusses Some of the Views Put Forward
THE views expressed in my article on destination indicators, entitled "Where Do We Go From Here?" ("The Commercial Motor," March 11),. have bronght confirmation from
man y quarters. It is gratifying that some interest has been aroused in a subject that might well have been treated lightly: it is surprising that even those operators with a lifelong experience of the subject have been so ready to confirm the view that little advance has been made in the past 30 years or so.
For all this, however, the underlying questiOn of what does or does not constitute the best practice in the design and use of destination indicators .rernains unsolved. In fact, the response to my article has served to show how remarkably divided opinion really is on this subject.
Originally; [felt that to deal with a matter of such evergreen controversy, most benefit could be obtained by giving prominence to a particular aspect that had not, to my knowledge, received the attention that it merited. I chose, it will be remembered, the indicator gearing.
Passengers First . • It seems, however, that the blinds and their lettering have been the subject of most comment, although how much of this was evoked by the illustrations accompanying the first. article one cannot. ascertain. On-the other hand, this, on the face of it, is clear evidence that the needs of thepassenger are uppermost in the Minds of public-Service-vehicle .operators, although 'judging from sonic of the results one might well have cause_to doubt it!
My suggestion that some form of standardization was necessary is echoed by 'Mr. C. T. Hun-midge, general manager of Rochdale Cor poration's transport department. "Standardization," be writes,-". Would help the public to know where to look for the indicators, and where to find the route number and destination."
As to the best practice in destination indicators, Mr. Humpidge thinks that the ideal arrangement for the front is a unit carrying a large route um her, final destination and a" via" screen allowing for at least four lines of names. This layout has been adopted in Rochdale on three routes which are also served by Manchester Corporation . buses. Manchester adopted this practice some years ago and Mr. Humpidge felt that standardization of indicators would greatly assist the public. What a fine example that. is of co-operation between operators for the benefit of the travelling public.
I was glad, too, to note that Mr. Hurnpidge agrees that a lot of information is not really necessary for seasonal traffic, a large route number being quite sufficient.
Returning to the front indicator, Mr. Humpidge does not think it pin: ticable to put the number, destination and via" points on one screen, because it makes the blind long and unwieldy: As a general rule this would be so, of courge, although there must be many cases where the rc-routeing programme is such that blinds could contain all this information -Without becorning long and unwieldy
Mr. Humpidge believes in large route numbers, and -I can hear other operators S'ay ing, "So do I." Yet his I5-in letters would seem large indeed to some 'operators.
In support of the. use of the " via " screen, he contends that; consistent With economy arid ease of Operation, the.-public should-be told as much as possible. On cross-town journeys in particular, he thinks this screen is essential, and it is useful for indication on limited-stop services.
No Confusion
En his view, the four-line " via" is the ideal. It gives a lot of information and is usually lettered so that it cannot be confused with the main destination blind—a frequently heard complaint where the single "via " screen is used.
The side destination indicator, says Mr. Humpidge, is also essential, but it should not be placed too high, as passengers waiting in a shelter cannot see it. Rather than over the rear entrance, he prefers it to be placed just above the rearmost side window. In the case of the Rochdale buses this is .clearly a much: better spot, although body design and the amount of information considered necessary in side screens must have a bearing on the final decision.
Coming to the rear of the vehicle, Mr. Humpidge likes a "plain indicator (presumably main destination
and mute number only) and he is against indicators or numbers on the off side.
This practice was stopped in London some years ago, because of the danger factor of people spotting the number and dashing across the road in front of oncoming traffic. This hazard must be accepted, I suppose, yet no one would use the same argument against the installation of, say, a sign in a shop window advertising "Scotch Sale: Unlimited Quantities." that this is likely to happen for some years, of course, but even if it did, it is doubtful whether it would be considered a danger to road safety— people would still cross the road! for Not
An Easy Method
Mr. Humpidge has definite views about the problems of changing indicators. With the Rochdale type of fronflayout, he says, only the final destination requires changing, as the route number is the same and the " via " points can be read " up " instead of "down."
His next point is particularly interesting. " On busy routes it is not practicable to change the front indicators from the inside of the upper deck, and the better way is for the conductor to do it outside the bus," hesays.
On this question I will say no more than that London Transport, as is widely known, prides itself on the " advantages" of indicator changing from inside the vehicle. The L.T.E. says something about 'no ladders," but that is a fight in which I do not propose to join.
Having brought London Transport into the argument, however, here is a brief outline of what will be standard practice when the happy days of "no shortages" At the front there will be four boxes, three being combined into a unit built into the front upper-deck framing and ocCupying the full depth between the intermediate floor and the upper-deck front windows. The fourth box, carrying the " queue " number, will be under the front canopy, permanently illuminated and measuring 13 ins. by 6 ins.
The destination box just above the upper-deck floor level will have an aperture measuring 44 ins. by 6 ins: The routenumber box, to the near side, will be 131 ins. by 101ins., and the five lines of intermediate route points will be displayed in the larger aperture, measuring 32i ins. by 19i ins. This will also be the size of the boxes over the
near-side entrance and at the rear, both of which will show the route number and three lines of route points.
In addition, at the rear, the main destination will be shown in a second box Measuring 32i ins. by 6-ins. and placed below the larger box. The route number on the off side will at first be painted on a detachable plate, but eventually it is proposed to provide an illuminated box similar to the "queue" box at the front.
Educating the Public Some operators tell me that they are now, finding it possible to simplify their indicators as the result of a policy of "educating the public." The Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., for instance, is now using only two destination boxes, one at the front and the other at the rear, each giving only the destination and route number. "This," says the chief engineer, Mr. J. Dawson, "promotes simple blinds and a neat and compact appearance."
The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., seems to' have gone even farther in this directhin. Although all post-war vehicles have been fitted with a destination and a route-number blind at the rear, the passengers are getting to know the routes so well that on future vehicles only the route number will be indicated at the rear.
The route numbers fitted are the fashionable three-section box units, and each digit is 9 ins. high—against Rochdale's 15 ins., and only 6 ins, in parts of Scotland. A completely opposing view comes from Mr. P. G. Armstrong, of W. Alexander and Sons, Ltd., Falkirk. He thinks that the route numbers are not so important, unless there are many services operating from a particular centre, This, surely, is further proof that the ideal arrangement of indicators is merely relative to the „situation 'created in particular areas. Mr.. Armstrong, incidentally, thinks that London Transport practice is the "cat's whiskers." He knows of no way by which it could
improved—" at the moment." Finally, I have been picked up by Mr. A. A. Townsin, of Winchrnore Hill, London, who writes that the push-button control device from the driver's cab is by no means a peep into the future. Apparently this was the practice in Newcastle before the war, although as the suggestion came from an operator in the same area, it is doubtful whether it could have been adopted extensively.
I have since learnt that " Midland Red" is investigating the possibilities of a motor-driven type of indicator gear.
For the future, however, the most novel suggestion comes from Mr. Hurnpidge, who reminds us that no one has yet devised a satisfactory wayof using a film strip and projecting it on to a screen. How annoyed we should be, sitting on the upper deck of a bus watching the latest news reel, to find it fading every few minutes and these words projected on the screen: "Next stop the Market Square. We do hope you have enjoyed your journey."
How we would glare at the fat man occupying most of our seat!