Motorbus World.
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The veteran of Tilling's motorbus fleet has now completed over 200,000 miles—since September, 1904.
The London County Council has passed plans, lodged by Mr. J. E. Ashby, on behalf of the London General Omnibus Co., for the erection of a motor-omnibus garage in Holloway Road, Islington.
A proposal to establish a motoromnibus service between the South Cliff, at Scarborough, and Scalhy, a route which is not covered by the electric-tramway service, is in hand.
Albions for Canada.
Among numerous orders received by the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., during the past month was a repeat order from Canada for a 15,seated Albion ehar-kbanes, which is intended for use in Ottawa for carrying both mails and passengers ; for the former purpose, a specially-designed boot. is fitted at the rear of the vehicle.
Mud-slinging at Shoreditch.
The Highways Committee of the Shoreditch Borough Council has recommended that representations be made to the Home Secretary, the President of the Local Government Board, and local members of Parliament and the L.C.C. to urge them to take steps to bring pressure to bear upon the Commissioner of
Police to compel motor-omnibus companies to provide efficient splasligua rds.
L.C.C. Tramway Hysterics.
In its report to the L.C.C., presented on Tuesday last, the Highways Committee betrayed the fact that the Council's tramway system is feeling the effect of motorbus competition. Motor omnibuses, asserted the committee, do not carry workmen at low fares, nor provide all-night services, whereas the L.C.0 tramcars do both and lose 170,000 a year by doing it. We wonder how long ratepayers will permit this sort of thing to go on ? We deal with the question at greater length in a leading article on pages 231-2.
Extensions at Newcastle.'
A proposal to run a service of motor omnibuses by the Newcastleon-Tyne Corporation, between Newcastle, Westerhope and North Walbottle, has been sanctioned by the House of Commons Committee which is considering the Newcastle Corporation Bill. Sanction was withheld for a further proposed scheme to run motor omnibuses between the terminus of the Tyneside Tramway Co.'s line at Gosforth Park Gates and Seaton Burn.
Belfast's Problem: Tram v. Motorbus.
Belfast is at; present discussing the relative merits of tramways and motorbuses in reference to the proposed extensions of its facilities for passenger traffic. Two tramway extensions have been suggested: one, known as the Donegal Road_ extension, is to cost £33,000, whilst the approximate cost of the other extension, on the Old Lodge Road and Oldpark Road lines, is estimated at 237,000. The contention of those in favour of the motorbus is that that class of vehicle would meet. the needs of the neighbourhood better than trams, and thus save a great proportion of the £70,000 involved in the proposed tramway extension scheme.
The outstanding arguments which have been raised 'locally in favour of the motorbus are :-1, low capital outlay : 2, earnings begin at once ; 3, the facilities they afford for linking up special routes ; 4, greater speed than tramcars ; 5, economy in road maintenance and equipment necessary ; 6, their non-interference with other traffic ; and 7.
the breakdown of one motorbus only affects the vehicle involved, whilst an aceiderit to a tramcar may disorganize the entire service.
Steam or Petrol?
The Law and Gencral Purposes Conanittee of the Kensington Borough Council has received it number of complaints from residents and owners of property in Earl's Court Road, Old Brompton Road and Cromwell Road, as to the nuisance and annoyance caused by motor omnibuses passing along those thoroughfares. It is alleged by several of the complainants that whilst one service rif motor omnibuses is practically noiseless, those which are being run by the London General Omnibus Co. are a most-.!riotis annoyance, through the noise and vibration which. they cause. The Committee in its report on the matter points out that neither. the Council nor any other authority has the power to prohibit the running of duly-licensed public vehicles, including motor omnibuses, along any particular thoroughfare, but that the Commissioner of Police under his powers does possess a control over
the description of vehicle that shall be licensed and can, it is understood, presumably under the conditionsupon which a licence is issued, require, the withdrawal from use of any public vehicle which has for
any reason become unsuitable. A communication is to be addressed to the Commissioner of Police calling attention to the complaints. Representations arc also to be addressed to the L.O.O.C.