Opinions and Queries' 1929 Le y land
Page 58
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Still Running
ALTHOUGH 1 am one of the many small operators in Scotland who do not find much time for letter writing, on reading the contribution from J. W: Fraser published in your issue of May 9, I felt compelled to support his plea for more space in your issues for articles concerning road.transport matters inScotland. Perhaps it inight even be possible to issue a Scottish edition, I. enclose a photograph [This is not suitable •for. reproduction.—ED 1 of one of my vehicles on the Devil's Elbow between Perth and Braemar. It is a 1929 Leyland, rebuilt in 1948, and after I had decided to operate under the name of Midland Coaches, I noticed that the cap of the fuel tank was marked Midland. This coincidence was 'caused by the fact that the vehicle was one of the original Midland buses operating as
Western S.M,T. •
After four more years of faithful service, this bus will retire at the end of this season, when its certificate of fitness expires. I often wonder if our new vehicles of to-day will be found operating in 1975! .
J. DocHER ry: Deansland, Auchterarder, Perthshire.
UNNECESSARY CONGESTI N IN BIRMINGHAM
IN YOUR .issue dated May 9, you mentioned that I experts are studying the traffic congestion in Birmingham. The Deritend Road was quoted as one of the main bottlenecks leading out of the city.
It is . hardly surprising that there should be delays at this point, for in recent" Months a roundabout-type crossing has been installed at the junction of the Coventry and Stratford • Roads; usually, thesedevices help to. move traffic easily, but that is not so with this one, as it happens.
Whoever is responsible for the layout of this junction, must have had some •remarkable ideas on traffic congestion. Thus, pavements on each side of the roundabout, and of the approach roads, have been considerably widened, so that there is just .sbfficient room for one lane of traffic. The effect of this arrangement can easily be imagined, for right-turning (Stratford Road) traffic that may be held up by cross traffic from the Coventry Road, will in turn obstruct other vehicles that are approaching from behind.
If the pavement had not been widened in this manner, left-turning (Coventry Road) traffic would be able to filter past on the near side. • Another black spot in Birmingham, causing delays of five mint:nes or more, at peak hours, is the traffic lights at the Stratford Road-.Stoney Lane junction. A number of improvements, each of a minor character, would collectively ease the situation here quite appreciably. There should be no waiting near the traffic lights themselves, this could be effected by suitable No Waiting" signs. It is a regular practice for cars to park in this awkward spot, while their owners are shopping.
The carriageway might he conveniently marked out to encourage traffic to form two lanes; this is rarely done in Birmingham, although commonplace in London. Permission to filter left into Stoney Lane, by the addition of a filter sign to the traffic lights, would help considerably, without affecting any other traffic stream.
n24
Another cause of delay is the bus stop used by all city-bound buses; no fewer than eight corporation services, most with a frequency of as close as two minutes, no to mention Midland Red services from the Stratford and Warwick Roads, must stop here, a few yards from the traffic lights. At peak hours, there is a continuous stream of buses, causing much congestion at this point. Surely it would not be a difficult matter for these various services to be segregated to some extent and thus facilitate overtaking? At present, one is faced with the prospect of having to overtake about six buses at a time, whereas, by arranging segregated bus stops, there would-not be more than, say, • four services using any one stop.
None of these modifications is of an elaborate naltire,, and none would involve any considerable expenditure. The attitude that seems to prevail in Birmingham, however, is to sit hack and wait for Whitehall to solve the problems. • R. A. Mins.
Birmingham, 22A..
BETTER LIGHTING NEEDED
I T rather surprises. me that the fitting otstop or.btake lights has not yet been made compulsory. on all motor vehicles: • I saw one of .these on a Dodge car as . long ago as 1924. and: thoughtthen that the idea would become standardized within a short time.
Many drivers without this equipment have adopted the habit of switching on theiraardittary tail lights when braking or stopping, particularly where the surroundings cause dark patches. There should, certainly also be two rear lights on every vehicle, to make it obvious which are the near side and off side. In my opinion a single tail light placed centrally is most dangerous.
It would be a great help, too, if pedestrian crossings were indicated by lights at night, for even the zebra marks do not show up well then, particularly when they are wet.
A. J. PARRIS. Bletchley,
Bucks.
[A report on the lighting of vehicles and trailers issued by the Standing joint committee of the Royal Automobile Club, the Automobile Association and the Royal Scottish Automobile Association was recently submitted to the Ministry of Transport, vehicle Manufacturers and other interested bodies. This contained many more suggestions than those made by our correspondent,. for example, it was proposed that there should be four red rear lights at the corners of a commercial vehicle so as to indicate the width and height, and alongside those at the bottom, red reflectors. ihere would be a separate lamp to illuminate the number plate, a red stopping tight and an optional reversing light. At the front, white side lights would show the width, these being in addition to white or amber head lamps. Vehicles or tractors towing trailers should bear some device at the front near side to indicate the latter, the sign to be illuminated at night. All trailers to carry white lights on each side of the front, to be visible from the front and sides, and rear lighting on trailers to be similar to that referred to above. For trailers over 22 ft: long, it was suggested that additional side lights, white at the front and red, at the rear, be carried. Another recommendation was that a white band should he painted across the rear of all commercial vehicles. It remains to be seen what action the Ministry will take in this inatter.—ED.1