Catchment Area Restricted
Page 33
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THE fact that an operator was advert tising and offering tours at places far removed from his gathering ground was not in itself a sufficient reason to grant additional picking-up points extending-his area. This was submitted to the North Western Traffic Commissioners, at Manchester, last week, by Mr. Jas. Booth, objecting for Florence Motors, Ltd., Morecarnbe, and British Railways, to an application by James Smith and Co. (Wigan), Ltd., to introduce a picking-up point at Carnforth on northbound tours (The Commercial Motor, May 24). Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., Western S.M.T. Co., Ltd., Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd., R. H. Harrison (Morecambe), Ltd., and Batty Holt Touring Services, Ltd., also objected. Mr. F. Webster, Smith's managing director, agreed that they advertised extensively in the Press and on television, and had agents throughout Great Britain. He also admitted that he had a controlling interest in Siver Gray (Morecambe), Ltd., who had a Carnforth point for extended tours. Mr. Booth said it was in reality a disguised Lancaster and Morecambe application, which points Smith's had already been refused. If Carnforth were granted to them they would straddle the territory of Florence Motors. It was agreed there was a• good train service from Lancaster to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and feeding into Lancaster. If Smith's picking-up points were increased their wide advertising was bound to abstract traffic from the objectors. It was unreasonable. said Mr. H. Backhouse, for the applicant, to expect people from the Carnforth area to join tours at Preston and travel back north past their starting point. The proposed picking-up point was already a coffee and tea stop. Refusing the application, the chairman, Mr. F. Williamson, said it had , taken years to establish catchment areas, and in this highly competitive field the Commissioners would require much stronger reasons before extending them. If all the operators in the area made a planned application, different considerations might arise.