COACH OWNERS' RECORD WEEK. •
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Sidelights on an Attraction which Brought 5,000 Motor Coaches to Blackpool,
BLACKPOOL probably holds the 1923 record for a record visitation of motor coaches. During carnival week the total arrivals were at least 5,000, of which 1,000 vehicles arrived on the last day a the great festival (Saturday, June 16th).
thie period the Blackpool Motor Station broke its week's record by a huge excess of arrivals compared with any preteding week since the station has been opened, but the day-today figures, taken in isolation, were nat. remarkable in comparison with some of the best days of last year. On the average for the first five days of the carnival (Monday to Friday), about 20 coaches were garaged at the station each day (on the Saturday the figure was much higher), and the total nuniher of passengers cleared for the week was about 35,000.
Bearing in mind that. these figures relate to one establishment only, and that there were dozens of other private motor parking places, it will be seen how immense was the Blackpool mach traffic for the week. On the last day of the carnival, apart from the huge coach arrivals, it is estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 other motor vehicles entered the town, their total human freight being about 100,000 people.
The coaches began to enter the town from 8 a.m. in the morning, and arrived continuously right throughout the day. At the Blackpool Motor Station there were receptions until 8 o'clock at night. The biggest weight of traffic at the station was dealt with between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. The departures wore much later than usual, and on one occasion the cafe at the motor station was busy until 1 o'clock in the morning.
The organization at the station has been so well developed that it was quite equal to the extraordinary stress of traffic, and the vehicles were parked systematically, so that, at loading-up time, they could be extricated from the crowds of other vehicles without any difficulty, and thus permit expeditious clearance.
The. Corporation Motor Station, in Central Drive, which is now in the occupation of the proprietors of the Blackpool Motor Station, was used for the first time during carnival week, the passengers being unloaded at the parent station. Vehicles arriving •late were parked at the Corporation overflow station, and afterwards reloaded at the Marshall Station premises.
The arrangements for the direction and allocation of traffic to the various garages and parks were in the hands of the Blackpool Motor Char-5,-bancs Owners Association. The coaches were stopped at the approaches to the town and were labelled on the windscreen according to their garaging destination. They then moved onward, and the policeman on point duty, noticing the label, passed the vehicle on to the next officer, and so on until the garage was reached, .In 'view of the big arrivals a foreign coaches, from all parts of Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Midlands, a system of this kind was absolutely necessary to avoid hopeless confusion. It was not until 5 o'clock on the Sunday morning fallowing the midnight celebrations of the carnival conclusion that the outward stream of traffic slacksued off.
All coach traffic directed to the Cali: seem Motor Park unloaded in the main street outsidethe Coliseum cafe. At busy periods there was a long line of waiting traffic down the street. After the coaches had unloaded, they steered down a side street to the open parking space, where they were arranged in their order rtf departure. From Liverpool, Manchester, Wigan, Bolton, in fact most Lancashire towns, there were regular daily services. The rate from Liverpool was 7s. 6d., but one or two companies advertised 6s. for the 96-mile journey.
The ordinary day trips from Blackpool during the period of the carnival were cancelled. Very little touring of any description was done by any of the local owners, whose principal revenue for the week was derived from letting off seats in the coaches at is., 2s., 2s. 6d. or 3s. each to view the street processions. The coaches took up stands at street corners, and passengers were able to see over the heads of the tightly packed crowds. A few coach owners advertised threemile tours of Blackpool to view the decorations. The fare was is. The pennya-mile (and less) fare was scotched for the week.
Decorated coaches also took part in the daily processions. Passengers who booked seats in these vehicles were' loaned a fancy costume by coach owner's. Generally, the fare was about 2s. 6d.
Char-a-bancs Accommodation at Rotherham.
Rotherham Corporation is adapting land at the Bridge Street end of Corporation Street for the accommodation of 15 to 20 chars--banes.
Combined Rail and Bus Season Tickets.
. The South Wales Transport Co., Swansea, have an arrangement with the Mumbles Railway Co., under which season-ticket holders on that railway are entitled to travel at reduced rates (Bank holidays excepted) on the Mumbles buses of the former company, on production of the railway season ticket.