1974 a mixed year for
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London Transport by CM reporter " A YEAR of somewhat mixed fortunes for London Transport—centring around LT's inability to provide the sort of service required." This is how Mr Ralph Bennett, deputy chairman and managing director (buses), described 1974 when he addressed a press conference last week on LT's annual report.
He blamed erratic bus and Underground services on shortages of both machinery and manpower. However, substantial increases in employees' wages had resulted in a dramatic improvement in recruitment, said Mr Bennett, although some parts of London were still suffering from serious staff shortages. Lack of serviceable buses was mainly attributed to the difficulty of recruiting maintenance and repair staff at the Chiswick overhaul works, and to a severe nationwide shortage of spare parts.
It was disclosed that LT expects to incur a deficit of around £90m during this financial year; this figure takes into account coming pay increases. Last year LT lost E33.5m, of which £23.6m was paid off by the GLC. The remaining ElOm was met by profits from the 1973 financial year (CM April 25).
During 1974, LT carried 26m more passengers and collected nearly El m more in fares compared with 1973, but bus and train mileage for the year was down.
In reference to bus lanes, Mr Bill P. Morgan, chief operating manager (buses), said that there had been mixed results. Generally, the long bus lanes had proved more effective than the shorter sections of lanes, but although there were 64 bus lanes with a combined length of over 16km (10 miles) in use at the end of 1974, traffic congestion was reported to be as acute as in 1973.
The report calls for a standard period of operation for bus lanes and stricter enforcement, possibly using traffic wardens. It questions the validity of taxis using bus lanes and says implementation of bus priority schemes is far too slow.
The report warns that with the current rapid rate of inflation, delay in approving an increase in fares makes it "increasingly difficult, if not impossible, ever to recover the lost revenue." The required large increases "would be unacceptable to the public," says the report.
More bus routes were converted to single-manning in 1974, bringing the total operated in this way to almost 40 per cent of the fleet. However, the problems of ticket issue and change-giving on busy routes limited the number of routes that could be o-m-o under London conditions.
The 1974 report also mentions the increase in "violent and disorderly behaviour on buses and trains," and says that police assistance is being given to combat it.
Commenting on the possibility of improving bus services the report concludes that "it is quite clear that an attractive and regular London bus service cannot be achieved while non-essential peak-hour car journeys continue."