Birch Bros. Refused New Town Services : United Counties Win
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THE Metropolitan Deputy Licensing Authority has refused in tote an application by Birch Bros., Ltd., to run excursions and tours from Stevenage and Hitchin. !Lie has also =ejected a proposal by North Star Coaches, Ltd., to run express services from Stevenage to Great Yarmouth and Clacton, but has authorized them to run additional excursions and tours from the town.
An application by the United Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., to run an express service from Stevenage to link with existing express services from Hitchin has been granted.
The hearing of the applications was reported in The Comnrercial Motor on September 16.
In a written :decision, the Deputt Authority, Mr. C. J. Macdonald, commented that the proposals of Birch Bros. appeared to be wider in scope than those of the other applicants. "This is a little surprising, as Birch Bros. cannot be said to have figured seriously in the matter of additional transport for Stevenage since the beginning of the New Town development," he said.
" No Room for More"
London Transport and North Star already operated from Stevenage, and United Counties demonstrated that they had a Stevenage clientele who used their Hitchin services. Birch Bros. produced no such evidence. "There is clearly no room at the present time for two additional operators to serve Stevenage," Mr. Macdonald added.
The decision stated that the position would need to be reviewed from time to time in the light of the growth of the new town.
[The population of Stevenage has increased from 6,500 in 1946 to 19,000 at the present time, and it is expected to rise to 60,000 when the new town is completed.]
Last week, London Transport announced that they were to introduce a new Green Line service between Stevenage and Woking next Wednesday. With an hourly frequency, it will be inter-worked with the present HitchinChertsey service, giving a joint halfhourly service to and from Stevenage.
From Wednesday, also, the Green Line route between Welwyn Garden City and Woking will be altered to run only between Welwyn Garden City and Victoria. It will be diverted at Little Heath to serve new housing in the Welham Green area NO EXTRA FACILITIES: APPEAL REJECTED
EIDENCE produced by Gliderways I—, Coaches, Ltd., at a hearing before the West Midland Licensing Authority did not serve to support the additional grant applied for, or to call in question the adequacy of the existing facilities on the route.
The Minister of Transport has therefore rejected with costs the company's appeals against the Authority's refusal to combine and increase vehicle allowanczs. and to grant an additional picking-up point at Hall Green, when authorizing the continuance of express services run between Smethwick and Southsea and Dudley and Southsca.