Road Transport's Part in
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City and Suburban Life
THE importance of a careful consideration of means for transport is stressed in Mr. Frank Pick's paper dealing with town planning, which he read before the Conference of the Municipal Tramways and Transport As . sociation, which closes to-day (Friday), at Portsmouth. Two other papers were read, and in that by Mr. W. G. Marks, on the subject of traffic congestion, several jarportant aspects of this urgent problem are discussed with a clear understanding of their effects on -trade. Mr. Ben Hall, in a third paper, deals with trolleybuses, and the results of the changeover from trams to the new form of transport in Portsmouth, where he is responsible for the municipal services.
Transport's Part in Town Planning.
That transport represents the framework upon which a town is built is the assertion of Mr. Frank Pick in the paper entitled "Towns: Town Planning and Town Transport,"
with which he opened the M.T.T.A. Conference. In any conaidetatiOn of planning, transport must, therefore, take first place, and the paper indicates broadly the operating and commercial factors which give the successful realization of transport and town planning.
Mr. Pick traces the growth of town planning, and he urges that lessons from the past must be nriderstood, if mistakes are to be avoided in the present and the future.
A point of special importance is that of the nature of the town and its functions or purposes. The town is, he says, a complicated piece of machinery, and, if it be comprehended and understood, there must he some limit to its size and a careful organization of transport which matches the area to be served.
Mr. Pick points to the evils of unplanned growth, and he asks, how many of the institutions of a town are a mere accretion of bits without clear pattern or co-ordinated aim? The major factor in determining the size is the form of transport available, and the paper briefly reviews the development of transport from the earliest organized system of the 17th century to the present day.
He quotes Birmingham as an example of the rapid growth of a city. Starting as an unimportant town, it has, in less than 200 years, developed to the position of the
second city of the country, with a population of 1,000,000 people. The rapid growth has seen a process of movement of the population from the inner areas, by a progressive system of street transport. As an example of the need for efficient public services, Mr. Pick points but that, since 1919, the corporation has built 45,000 houses to hold 194,000 people (equal to about one-sixth of the population), at the same time providing the necessary means for
transport. .
It is only since the war that there has been a conscious ordering of housing and transport and Of the other ele
ments of sound planning. There are, however, many lessons still to be learnt. Traffic has got out of hand, and at peak periods causes undue congestion. The query is raised as to what can be done to smooth out the peak periods, and Mr. Pick points out that a peak service costs twice or even three times that of an all-day service.
No transport undertaking can take delight in its peak traffics, asserts the author, but there is satisfaction to be gained in meeting them and overcoming their difficulties. So far, this question has been begged even by the town planners, who tend to run away from it.
He suggests that educational institutions, and their times of starting and finishing, should not coincide with business movements. He urges that there is a natural relationship between the size of a town and the number of journeys which its citizens make on an average in the year, thus hi town planning, transpOrt must assert itself
as a dominant factor. .
The Development of the Trolleybus at Portsmouth.
Yesterday (Thursday) two papers were read, the first. by Mr. Ben Hall, being entitled "Trolley Vehicles." Mr. Hall, who is responsible for the Portsmouth City Transport Department, traces the history of public-service
vehicles in that city. He comments upon the obstruction caused by trams in the narrow streets of the town, and ex
plains the difficulties under which the system laboured in view of the increasing demand for a frequent and quick service despite the resultant congestion. Portsmouth saw the last of its trams in November, 1936, and the new trolleybus system has been well received by the public.
The author includes in his paper. a number of useful diagrams illustrating the load characteristics as between trams and trolleybuses, and he observes that, in general, the character of the traffic remains unchanged.
On the subject of the overhead trolley system, Mr. Hall explains a means whereby the suspension poles can he re lieved of practically all stresses due to suspended load by the adoption of what he terms cross-tubular suspension. This method enables old and weakened poles to be retained or light-weight poles to be installed.
For use in Portsmouth. the four-wheeled, 50-seater, double decktrolley bus has Proved to be most suitable, due, mainly, to the many narrow roads and the fact that the larger earning capacity of • a 60-seater machine did not justify the higher running cost during the long periods of light loading.
The author comments upon the value of battery operation, and at Portsmouth this method has been specially useful at the depots, where space not initially laid out for trolley-bus use can thus be utilized.
The paper continues with a description of the 'equipment in use at Portsmouth, and the author concludes that
for urban services, where routes are defined and must be generally maintained, the trolleybus provides the ideal substitute for the tram:
Liverpool's Transport Chief Discusses Congestion.
The final paper read before the conference was on the subject of " Traffic Congestion," and was given by Mr. W. G. Marks, M.Inst.T., general manager of Liverpool, Corporation Transport Department. Mr. Marks is a wellknown protagonist of the tram, and it appears from his paper that he does not look upon this type of vehicle as an important cause of congestion.
He refers to the great increase in the number of licensed vehicles during the past 15 years and he shows that increase to amount to nearly 200 per cent. On the subject of trams, however, Mr. Marks asserts that these have decreased by less than 20 per cent., and he states that this figure should give the opponents of the tram food for reflection. In the author's view, unless the death rate in trams is much accelerated it will be nearly 20 years before we see their complete demise.
Mr. Mark attributes congestion to six main causes, amongst which may be mentioned narrow streets, growth of road traffic, parking of vehicles in streets, pedestrian crossings, etc. It appears, however, from its omission, that the tram is not, in his view, a contributory cause.
The increase in traffic is largely due to the growing popu. larity of the private car, says Mr. Marks, and the inference to be drawn from his paper is that he would like to see the parking of ears abolished in all main streets. Automatic traffic signals have, in the author's opinion, proved to be something of a mixed blessing, and an inherent weakness is the lack of power to discriminate. , On the subject of pedestrian crossings, we are in complete agreement with the author, who maintains that the public remains ignorant of their correct use. He suggests
that many of the offences committed by drivers are a direct result of the misuse of the crossings by pedestrians. The public fails to make proper use of the crossings provithcl ; moreover, their haphazard arrangement mitigates against their usefulness.
Mr. Marks suggests certain remedies for these evils, and whilst he commends the Widening and mproving of thoroughfares he realizes that the expense of 'purchasing and demolishing property when constructing new roads must retard progress in this direction. Until such roads can be built, however, the author suggests that •nnidirectional traffic should be encouraged, and he quotes the big success that has attended the adoption of these measures in Birmingham. We Might here mention that the advantages of one-way streets are seriously reduced if trams be allowed to proceed in the opposite direction—a feature that we have observed in several districts. On the question of parking, Mr. Marks suggests that a series of moderate-capacity parks or garages placed at convenient points would be of greater value than a few huge car parks, and he urges that a scheme of reasonable and agreed charges should be put into operation for car parks and garages.
Another possible means for relieving congestion is restrictions on the types of traffic which may, or may not, use certain streets. There should, says the author, he some segregation between fast and slow traffic, especially in certain city areas.
In his conclusion, Mr. Marks avers that the objects of investigations into congestion should be primarily concerned with the effects that the present conditions have upon transport services. The suggestions he makes would, he believes, enhance 'the comfort, convenience and safety of all road users.