A COACH STATION FOR BRIGHTON
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The Watch CO-mmittee Passes the Scheme Put Forward by the Chief Constable AT a recent watch-committee meeting of Brighton Corporation the chief constable reported that he has prepared two optional schemes for dealing with stopping places for express coaches.
• These services will be licensed by the Commissioners and will necessarily require facilities for picking up and setting
down passengers in the town. This could he done either by arranging a common stopping place for all services or,-alternatively, stopping places allotted one to each of the main entrances -and exits of the town. Express coach services have increased greatly in number during the past year, and there is nothing to indicate that this increase will not continue. • .
There can be little float that the most satisfactory method of 'dealing with these' services would be, if possible, to arrange fa. a central station for arrival and departure. Such a scheme is possible in the northern portion of the Level without encroaching in. any way on the recreational use of the Level. "Ila submitted a sketch showing, how the scheme could be worked,giving ample accommodation for 16 coaches, with waiting-rooms, booking offices, lavatories, etc., available for passengers:
That portion of the scheme which the
chief constable suggested for the Level in 1928, dealing with this particular phase of , the motor-coach question, was profitable to the corporation, and the present suggestion would; he submitted, be at letst.equally profitable.
The alternative—that is, to arrange separate stopping places—could be decided upon as follows :----From London, etc., Preston Road, north of Stanford Avenue ; from Lewes direction, Richmond Terrace, north of Southover Street ; from Rottingdean ,direction, Rottingdean Road, east of St. Mark's School; and from Hove direction, Madeira Drive.
Until one tries to determine a suitable thoroughfare for this purpose it cannot be realized how difficult it is to Select a place. The chief constable thinks that the places -which he has named would perhaps answer the purpose for a time, but it is only putting off what must eventually be done—and that is to arrange for a central station. It most be remembered that this type of traffic will require a considerable
amount of police supervision, and the police are already engaged in many duties which take them from their principal function of preventing and detecting crime.
If the committee agrees that a central station is the correct solution and cannot come to a decision as regards the Level scheme, it might consider it possible to develop such a station in a cleared slum area in the town. 'Whether the central station at the I./evel or elsewhere, or the separate stopping places be decided upon, it will be essential that the motor coaches sing the station or other places be not allowed to garage there. If they require garage accommodation they will have to proceed to one of the garages in the town or to the corporation garage in Whitehawk Valley ; they could not In any circumstance be allowed to remain at the station for longer than 15 minutes.
The committee decided that a station or express motor coaches be provided at the north end of the Level in the position set out on the plan submitted, and that the chief constable and the °rough surveyor report with plans and stimates of cost for providing such a tation.