Planning for Commuter Passenger Traffic
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TRANSPORT FACILITIES TOWN PLANNING MUS" GO HAND IN HAND THE problems of commuter traffic in conurbations should be tackled and could be solved on three lines. First, the nature and extent of the present movement must be defined and measured. Secondly, town planning must proceed in parallel with the planning of transport facilities. Thirdly, the road system must be improved to the maximum extent that can be done without incurring unreasonably high cost or destroying the amenities and life of the city. This was said by Mr. Anthony Bull, a member of the London Transport Executive, when he was giving the 48th Thomas Hawksley lecture to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London. His paper was headed "Problems of Commuter Traffic in Conurbations." .
Mr. Bull explained that although his paper related mainly to London, a similar situation existed in most of the principal cities of the world. He recalled that in 1954 Sir John Elliot, then chairman of London Transport, warned that unless there was some control over the use of streets, particularly for long-term parking, traffic in London and other main cities would be brought to a standstill. At that time, public opinion in the U.K. was not convinced. But with the further growth of traffic this had changed.
Flow versus Speed •
As the mean flow of vehicles in central London over the past nine years had. increased, the mean journey speed had been reduced. This had caused a substantial increase in the cost of operation of bus services, apart from the effect of congestion on regular headway.
An increase of approximately 0.6 m.p.h. would result in a saving in London Transport's costs of the order of E2m. a year, apart from the increase in traffic receipts which would accrue through the provision of a more regular and faster bus service.
The action which had so far been taken had not been wholly successful in solving the problem of the future of London and other large cities. There had not been a sufficiently sensitive control of office development in central areas. There had not been a sufficient effort to improve facilities for transport to match the increase in commuter traffic.
Road Programmes
It was questionable whether the conception of the road proposals in the London development plans was wholly sound. It was an integral part of the London plans that the new and improved roads would be accompanied by the provision of off-street parking in the central area of London. The volume of carparking facilities provided in new office buildings was quite inadequate. Facilities on the scale required could have been provided only by allocating very large areas, horizontally and vertically, for car parking. A more realistic road programme was that suggested in 1959 by the Nugent Committee.
A32 Segregation of road traffic from pedestrian movement on through-road routes was as necessary as in the case of railway traffic, both to facilitate traffic flow and to ensure safety.
Urban public transport facilities were inadequate for the movement, at reasonable speed and in comfort, of the existing commuter traffic at the height of the peak periods. Redevelopment of the inner central area was causing an increasing commuter traffic. This was the problem to be solved.
New Administrative Machinery
The Royal Commission on local government in Greater London came to the conclusion that the traffic problem could not be solved under the present administrative machinery, and that it was necessary for one authority to be responsible for traffic planning and management. The establishment of such machinery would greatly facilitate the planning of London, of which the bones were the buildings and the arteries the roads and railways.
It would be the task of any planning authority to plan the location and development of buildings and houses in conjunction with the development of transport facilities, so that these facilities were fully adequate. Past experience and present prudence both suggested that some margin of capacity should be provided where this could be done at reasonable cost.
To provide a road system which would satisfy everyone would be prohibitively expensive and would result in the destruction of the city. Limited road improvements, on the scale proposed by the Nugent Committee, appeared to be practicable. They must be so designed as to provide conditions in which the public passenger road undertakings could provide a regular and speedy service of high-capacity vehicles. Such freight as must be moved by road must be accommodated. A reasonably quick journey should be made possible for private cars, to the extent that their admission into the central area could be justified on economic and social grounds.
Traffic engineers could play a part in the planning of improvements and in the methods of control and use of road system. In parallel improvements, off-street parkin provided for such volumes of parking as could be accommod: economic price. There seemed case for allowing parked priva or off city streets at other economic price.
By improvement of the roa by providing special facilities service vehicles (reserved lanes mission to carry out manceu bidden to other traffic); controlli private cars; restrictions on lo unloading goods vehicles; tn entering London by road could travel more easily, more spel with greater safety. As the imp: continued they would permit increase in the number of corm road. If regular bus services, at a reasonable speed, could tamed they could make a valual bution to the movement of c particularly over the shorter dis Suggestions had been made capacity of the road system increased by arranging for control of road vehicles or by the road vehicles on moving tracks. Such systems, while c. development, seemed unlikely to advantage for urban travel development of the railway syst could more easily be adapted matic operation.
Staggering Hours of Vi The encouragement of the stat hours for office and industrial and for school children had fE time been advocated. What achieved in this way was oftc estimated. Further relief was pi It would assist in reducing fa, ing, but could not be exe present circumstances to be carr point where all commuters cot in comfort by the means of they desired.
Helicopters offered a flexible transport but suffered from t disadvantage which was likel difficult and costly to suppress were expensive to operate in T.( their carrying capacity. Even if (Vertical Take-off and Landing were feasible it was difficult t that such a system could make n a marginal contribution to t movement of commuters on the required in a city the size of Lc
In the further future, there possibility that such devices as cell could be developed as a ma
e principle of the air cushion in Hovercraft might be capable Lion. The gyroscope or flywheel re a part to play in the propulThan transport vehicles. Here rther range of long-term prob1 might be worthy of attention nical engineers.
td Improvements ring More Cars
'ORT just issued by London sport states that road improvemain approaches to town and .London itself .appear to have '.71.y responsible for a 7 per cent. in commuter car traffic in the per cent. increase in commuter • occurred despite a fivefold in parking meters in the past rs and the introduction of I waiting regulation.
loft comments on the significant at cerues points bordering the ieter Zones, car traffic remained eve!, coMpared with substantial recorded on other entry roads Vest End and City.
rih there are 4,000 more peaks than a year ago, carrying them another 4,600 people, the iber of passengers travelling up London in the morning peak taking private and public transqher, has fallen by 4,300 to This is accounted for by a drop ssengers and fewer, motorcycles, end pedal cycles being used.
Ousting Buses in Belfast
e of the private car was steadily ng Belfast's public transport wards the slippery slope leading. ncy, declared Mr. R. W. Adams, meral manager of Belfast CorTransport Department, in an o the Institute of the Motor in the Ulster Automobile Club Belfast. Mr. Adams said the of towns and cities was being ised seriously by the, growth of lgestion.
-affie congestion increases and .t.come longer, the number of lost by buses increases, the oyes more slowly and becomes
d more unattractive so that losses grow,' he continued. .xperience has shown that the alloWing .city bus services to be away to make room for a few vate cars results only in worse mcertain prospect we now face : is that if improved conditions r flow of traffic do not come Jgh, the damage to and attrition isting bus services may make it c to maintain our position of solvency; while continuing to an economic service at fares ic public can and would be pay."