Midland "Red " M1 Success
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THE considerable success of the Midland " Red " express services on M1 between Coventry-London and Birmingham-London, was referred to by Mr. John Spencer Wills, chairman of the company, at the annual meeting on Tuesday. In the first year of the BirminghamLondon service, 5,118 journeys were operated, 151,373 passengers were carried and 623.201 miles were run. Seventy-nine of the D.9-type doubledeck vehicles were now in service and the prototype of the D.10 started to operate in January. The vehicle-building programme now in progress included 100 single-deck buses of, the S.14/S.15 type, and a further 33 C.5-type coaches. " Unfortunately," said Mr. Wills, "all these vehicles still have to be built to the present maximum permitted dimensions of 30 ft. by 8 ft." He thought a decision about increasing the dimensions to 36 ft. by 8 ft. 2 in. was overdue. The industry, he said, was also exasperated that there had still been no change in the speed limit of 30 m.p.h.; their motorway express service had shown very clearly that high speeds can be maintained with complete safety.
Mr. Wills also criticized the proposed new Road Traffic Bill, particularly the
provisions relating to "technical " offences. He felt the Bill must be drastically altered.
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In 1960, Midland " Red " buses and coaches ran a total of 75,935,000 miles, approximately 1.05 per cent, more than in 1959; passengers carried totalled 370,683,000, approximately .008 per cent. less than in 1959.
SPENNYMOOR BUS STATION
-r-HE Ministry of Transport have approved a £16,000 scheme by Spennymoor (Durham) U.D.C. for the construction of a new bus station.