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"Impossible" Which Li NG 1NEERS responsible
Did Not Take Long " for recovering public ser to Achieve . vice vehicles involved in accidents are firm believers in the saying "We can always do the impossible—but miracles take a little longer" A little time ago a South Wales Transport full-height double-decker, travelling in Swansea "dockland," attempted to negotiate a low bridge which crosses the main road at an acute angle. The bridge slopes down, the road clearance being less under one side. The bus struck the bridge and was pushed over towards its off side, with the roof resting against a bridge pillar. Examination of the situation might have suggested that the best way of extracting the bus would be to pull it away from the pillar, allow it to fall flat before being drawn out, and then right it in the normal way. The breakdown crew was of this opinion, and a righting girder and shackle were bolted to the chassis. With another shackle around the front dumbirons, the bus was then winched gently away from the pillar. According to Mr. Parker, chief engineer of South Wales Transport, Ltd., "instead of sliding down on Is side, the bus then tilted back until the roof came .nto contact with the bridge. It was then decided to pull the bus out backwards—and as the bus was withdrawn it gradually lost its tilt and dropped on to its near-side wheels." Single-line traffic was operated, and only for five minutes was this interrupted while the bus was being cleared.
TCP combat reported, speed ing by drivers of coaches making for the coast through Kent, the county police authorities have recently announced that in future plain-clothes policemen in police cars will be employed to check speeding. The method formerly used of setting traps with the police personnel either in uniform or plain clothes had failed, because drivers who were caught passed on the lesson learned to others. Moreover, signals by drivers who knew the road warned those approaching the traps. Now the question arises whether Section 20 (3) of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, which states that a driver must stop on being so required by a police constable in uniform, still applies. Sub-section 2 states that a driver "who within the view of the police constable drives recklessly or dangerously or carelessly, may be arrested by such police constable without warrant unless the driver gives his name and address or produces his driving licence. The police constable need
not be in uniform." Drivers cannot, however, be Plan expected to stop when requested to do so by unknown Plain-clothes individuals in cars; uniformed constables must be obeyed, as the law states that failure to do so when required to, makes a driver liable to a fine not exceeding £5. The police have started a tricky bare in springing a particularly nasty gin.
Give Transport More IT is unreasonable that only Discussion The In I one day should be set Parliament aside in the House of Commons for discussion of the British Transport Commission's annual report. An extensio3 of the debate to two days would at least give the Government spokesman winding-up the proceedings no excuse for claiming that he had no time to deal with many of the points raised. Transport has become an extremely controversial subject and the activities of the greatest commercial enterprise in the world deserve more than 6i• hours' discussion in a year.