Bird's Eye View
Page 40
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'Wrong-side' Parking
I LEARN from my Midlands colleague, Harold Hastings,
that Londoners who use Birmingham's recently installed parking meters and leave their vehicles facing the " wrong " way are likely to be in for a rude shock. Whereas this practice seems to be generally tolerated in London, Britain's Second City is interpreting the regulations literally and proceedings are liable to be taken against any nonconformists.
Birmingham authorities justify their attitude by two arguments—(a) that they are merely sticking to the regulations and (b) that the regulations have logic behind them anyway, in that " wrong-side " parking involves crossing the traffic stream twice—first when entering the bay and later when leaving it I suppose one cannot grumble at that, especially as Birmingham is kind in that its regulations officially allow parkers to use any unexpired time still showing on the meter—up to the total limit of two hours, of course. But what one would like to know is how strangers are expected to know all these subtle differences in theory and practice up and down the country. The need for uniformity has never been greater.
Well At-tyred I
ACCORDING to J. H. Perry and Son Ltd., of Lye,
Worcs, the Austin 5-tonner illustrated completed 270,000 miles on the Dunlop 7.50-20 tyres originally supplied with the vehicle when it was new in 1955. This statement aroused some scepticism (one hears so many claims of this type) but now Dunlop has confirmed that the tyres were made in 1955 and The Central Garage, Lye, has confirmed that the tyres were in continual use for the mileage.
Some people may still disbelieve this story. No one can deny, however, that the appearance of the Austin shows that it has been well cared for. Very likely the same care has been taken in the driving of it!
— and the rest?
DURING constructional work on M6 where it by-passes Preston most of the eight-mile length has been reduced to single-carriageway usage. Passing that way I was interested to see a frequently repeated sign in terms new to me. It simply said: "Police Notice. No overtaking by Lorries ". One could see sense in the general idea. Singled down to a two-lane road this is no place for optimistic passing and when I was there all types of traffic were treating the situation with a good deal of caution. But I am still left wondering by the limited terms in which the thought was expressed_
Crinolined Clippies?
nRIVERS in frock coats and clippies in crinolines may
be manning buses running through London's West End one day this month, if what I hear is true. For a couple of years, I believe, the busmen's leaders have been having a running argument with London Transport about uniforms, complaining in particular that jacket and trouser replacements at yearly intervals and overcoats every three years are not frequent enough to enable them to keep smart. A London Transport spokesman has said that in fact they get very few complaints about uniforms and that they're continually experimenting to find even longerwearing cloth.
Be that as it may, the T.G.W.U. central bus committee has sent instructions to all garages that unless there has been some satisfactory reply from the Board before then, all bus crews are to turn up for duty on August 20 wearing their own clothes. Cockney bus crews have been quick to interpret this union instruction very broadly, I hear, and are now busily digging out fancy dress, including period costumes, to wear on that day.
Whatever the merits of the case, I'm rather hoping it comes to a sartorial protest; it would brighten up the old metropolis no end.