The Transport Association Congress
Page 44
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Pointers from Important Papers Read at the Annual Congress of the Tramways Light Railways and Transport Association
THE Tramways Light Railways and Transport Association held its 21st annual congress last week at Margate. On Wednesday there was an informal reception of the members and guests by the chairman of the council, Mr. E. H. Eclwardes, and on Thursday morning an official reception by the Mayor of Margate, Councillor P. B. Osborne, J.P., and members of the corporation. Later, a paper entitled "Odds and Ends" was read by Mr. J, A. Forde, J.P., A.M.I.E.E., M.Inst.T., general manager and engineer of the Isle of Thanet Electric Supply Co., Ltd.; this being followed by an interesting discussion.
The Congress was invited to luncheon by the directors and general manager of the Isle of Thanet Electric Supply Co., Ltd. Then followed excursions and the members' annual dinner and dance.
On Friday a paper entitled " The Operation of the Road Traffic Act, 1030," was read by Mr. R. G. Pittard, traffic manager of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., this also being followed by a discussion of the greatest interest. In the evening a reception and ball were given by the Mayor and Mayoress of Margate, and the members returned to London on Saturday.
The Outlook for Trams.
In the paper on "Odds and Ends," by Mr. J. A. Forde, he said that the local tramways reached their highwater mark in 1921, and since then there had been a constant decrease in revenue, the reasons for this being preference for, and competition from, motor services. He mentioned the agitation for the scrapping of the trains, stating that he was one of the agitators. On the other hand, there are those who desire their retention. Nearly 25 years ago he was desirous of introducing motorbuses for feeding the tramways, but since 1918 he had been in favour of the abandonment of the trams.
"The Tramways Order expires in nine years, and what is the outlook? So far as I can see, there is none." This remark from such a high authority is most significant.
Mr. Porde stated that the reasons for the scrapping of the trams appeared to be much stronger than those for their retention. The capital invested will, in any case, have to be written off, for the reason that few, if any, tramways are paying their way and have only a short term of years to run under their Orders. . They could be replaced by buses without generally increasing the number of vehicles, as the carrying capacity of the modern bus is, for most purposes, equal to that of most n20 tramcars:. The average speed is much higher. In the case of the Isle of Thanet Electric Supply Co., Ltd., the work could actually be done with fewer buses, for with a mixed fleet of 35 buses, including a large number of 20seaters, they could take as much money more cheaply, and on routes not so favourable, as those of the tramways.
Tramcars caused considerable obstruction to other vehicles. Passengers are compelled to take risks in boarding or alighting, and where. tramways have been abandoned the carrying capacity of the roads has been increased. It is much more difficult to maintain roads where tramways are laid, and the cost of permanent-way upkeep is increasing. The electricity used by the trams would be available for domestic and other purposes without increasing the generating plant.
The trolley-bus, he continued, does possess certain advantages, but one of its worst features is that it is still tied to the overhead wires and cannot, without further expense, be applied to new districts or alternative routes.
Within 10 years most tramways, particularly in provincial towns and cities, will have ceased to exist.
The author's view is that the bus is the best method of passenger transport and is preferred by the public. Buses are very comfortable, speedy,, do not obstruct other traffic and give better continuity of service, and whilst the life is relatively short, this is not so much of a handicap as one can more readily keep up to date...,He thought there was hope that the oil engine will result in the further development of motor vehicles.
Operators and the Road Traffic Act.
The other paper, by Mr.' R. G. Pittard, on "The Operation of the Road Traffic Act, 1930," referred to many of the difficulties which are now being experienced. The author mentioned that probably in the minds of most managers the only immediate result of the Act is the multitude of forms they have had to prepare and sign, and the time they have had to devote to the preparation of their cases for presentation before the Commissioners. Some amusement had been caused, he said, owing to the form concerning driving licences including the demand to know if the applicant can read and write, this after he has studied and filled in replies to six previous questions.,
An important point which wa$ raised was the suggestion of the Commissioners of certain Traffie Areas that it should he made a condition to the granting of . a road:Service licence that the : maximum speed Of 30 m.p.h. shOuld ,not be exceeded. This. Condition, if made, might have the effect • of penalizing an operator twice , for the same Offence, as he IS liable to a fine under the general law and stands a chance of having his road-service licence revoked by the . Commissioners. It might also, in certain instances, place operators at the mercy of their
drivers. .
Mr. Pittard believes that some of the smaller coach proprietors who have been in the habit of conveying factory workers to and from work are under the impression that their vehicles are contract carriages, because they receive payment for the service from one member of the Party. It is quite clearly defined in sub-section two that this is not so, and that those desiring to continue this class of work must apply for a road-service licence.
The Expense of Applications. • In those applications which have been heard to date, Mr. Pittard continued, the points that stand out particularly are the vast number of objections, many of them on purely technical grounds ; the need for the applicant to have his ease complete to the smallest detail, and the fact that almost every applicant and objector has been represented by counsel or solicitors. It is a moot point if the Act ever intended that operators should be put to this expense, but In view of the number of objections it is difficult to see how these could be met without legal representation.
Section 75 of the Act provides for financial and statistical returns to be supplied to the Minister, and the author thinks it may be found that this section will be the biggest stumbling block to the small operators, many of whom have hitherto kept no records and, in some instances, do not even issue tickets.
The section dealing with the governino-6 of the conduct of passengers will no doubt be of great assistance, The fair-wages clause will be welcomed by all operators of standing.
The Act, he said, has placed considerable additional financial burdens upon the industry,