Bournemouth Plan "Unfair to Coach Users " : Council Lose
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" THE council's proposal does savour of unfair treatment for coach
I users as opposed to private-car users.With this comment, the chairman of the South-Eastern Traffic Commissioners, Mr. H. J. Thom, on Tuesday refused to grant an application by Bournemouth Corporation to vary licences held by coach operators to require them to use King's Park, Boscombe, as their terminal.
The proposed new station is 2+ miles from the Avenue Road park, in the town centre, which is used at the present time.
The Commissioners found there was run into the terminal at short intervals.
no support for the claim that the proposed station would relieve chaotic traffic conditions in the town centre. Rather would it encourage more private cars—the main contributors to congested streets—to drive in to the town centre and park there.
Tuesday's decision was given after a four-day hearing (The Commercial Motor, October 19 and last week).
Restricted Order?
Mr. Thom said he would reed-mend to the Minister of Transport that, the council's order, by which it would be empowered to establish the coach station, should be concerned only so far as it would enable the council to use King's Park for a coach and car park..
Council witnesses had said excursion and tours coaches already waited in King's Park between dropping-off and picking-up their passengers in the town centre. He advised the council to study suggestions made by objecting coach operators for an improvement of the Avenue Road park to make it a coach station, with coaches waiting in an adjacent road, or in King's Park, If the council did not think these suggestions feasible, they should reconsider the possibilities of acquiring, or obtaining a listing of restrictive covenants on Horseshoe Common. That, he believed. was the longrterm solution.
Short Cut Suggested
Mr. E. S. Fay, for the Passenger Vehicle Operators Association and 23 operators, submitted that to avoid having to promote a Parliamentary Bill for the easing of covenants restricting the common to open space, the council should make compulsory purchase of any area that is additional fb the two acres they owned, which would he required for a coach station. All coaches plying to Bournemouth could be accommodated there.
For the council. Mr. N. R. FoxAndrews, Q.C., said that Was quite possible, but there would have to be a public inquiry because of " a torrent of objections."
Mr. J. H. Gilbert, of A. Timpson and Sons. Ltd., also representing Bourne and Balmer (Croydon), Ltd., and the P.V.O.A., said on Monday that he could not agree that eight corporation buses would cope, as a feeder service to regular corporation buses passing along Boscombe main street, with coach arrivals.
His figures for Saturdays in August and July showed that 23 coaches could o2 On the Council's' claim of four journeys per bus an hour between King's Park and the main street, and his own estimate that, one bus, with 35 seats, would take a coach load, a queue could grow to 1.000 with a wait up to I:1 hr.
People arriving by coach would have "an absolutely horrid time" when dropped in the main street, which was already over-congested with peak traffic and crowds, he added.
Mr. Gilbert said the corporation's loss on running the feeder service would be 0,000-£4,000 a year.
About 25 per cent. of express coach passengers had day returns, he went on. Many were car owners. Subjected to the inconvenience of four bus journeys to be made from and back to the coach, plus time for lunch. out of a 2+-hour stay, next time they would either go by car, or to Eastbourne instead.
Hour by Bus Mr. D. W. Morison. traffic manager of Hants and Dorset Motor Services, Ltd., forecast that it would take up to an hour to get by bus from King's Park to Bournemouth Square at the times coaches arrived on Saturdays.
So great would be the inconvenience of coach arrivals wanting to get west of Bournemouth that his company would have to start some of their buses from Poole, Swanage and other places. from King's Park. [Hants and Dorset have their own bus station in the town centre.]