Exclusive Routes for Buses, Suggests L.T.E. Chairman
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IF one-way-street working made buses miss the points at which -their -passengers wanted to be set down or picked .up, the Object of the exercise might be defeated—by driving people off the buses into private cars, causing greater congestion than
ever. This could sometimes be met by allowing buses to use special routes denied to other vehicles, as had been done with success in several American cities.
This point was made by Mr. A. B. B. Valentine, chairman of London Transport Executive, when speaking to British fuel industrialists in London last week. He said that London could not be kept mobile in any satisfactory sense without an adequate public transport system operating on an economic basis. If,as expected, car ownership doubled in 10 or 12 years, the disbalance between peak and off-peak traffic was likely to get Worse,with further adverse effects on fare. This, he said, was on the assumption that London Transport would still beexpected to pay its way. Some might 'say that London Transport might thus price itself out of the market. '
Mr. Valentine said he did not think this would happen, because costs would also rise for their main competitor, the private car.