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BUSES PROVE BEST FOR
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)ANDING YORKSHIRE CITY Tramway Replacements and Developing Services Have Caused a Rapid Growth of the Motorbus Fleet. Many of the Vehicles Have Been Oilers Since 1933 THE problems ...which municipal undertakings in all parts of the country have had to face, during the past 15 or 20 years, are many, and it is true to say that they have been able to meet these problems, with the aid of the motorbus, in a manner which would never have been possible with tramcars.
Leeds is a typical example of this— and a particularly striking one, as the growth of new residential areas in the outer suburbs, coupled with increasing congestion in the centre of the city, has made extensive transport developments essential. These have been Carried out on bold lines by the various successive transport managers, in particular, Mr, W. Vane Morland, the present general manager of the Leeds City transport undertaking.
Leeds, like 'other Yorkshire towns, was, for many years, a stronghold of -tramcars, which, until 1925, provided all the radial services required frau the centre of the city. Before that date, however, the first problem which faced many municipal-transport committees after the Great War had had to be met, this being the provision of improved transport facilities between suburban areas, required both on account of the growth of the travel habit, and of housing developments in suburban areas.
Buses had been used since 1908 on one or two short " feeders' services to the tramways system, and a preference was shown for this type of unit c42 forthe development of more important services.
. The first inter-suburban service was commenced in 1922 and others have since been developed until they now provide an important part of the City's.. transport. The suburbs north of the river are served by four such services, as follow :— Osrnondthorpe Harehills Headingley-Kiiskstall-Stanni ngley.
Osmondthorpe Harehills HeadingleyKirkstall-Bramley.
Harehills Meanwood.Headingley Kirkstall-Wortley.
Whitkirk Crossgates Oakwood Moortown.
The first two services mentioned provide, for the greater part of the day, a 10-minute frequency between Osmondthorpe and Kirkstall, with 20minute services to Stanningley and Bromley; the Harehills-Wortley service (which links up with the Sta.nningley and Brantley services at various points) a 20-minute service; and the WhitkirkMoortown service (which service area has not yet fully developed) a 30minute service.
South of the river, are a lengthy route from Bromley (where connection is made with the service from the northern suburbs) to Belle Isle (15-20minute service) and a shorter service from Beeston to Middleton.
Tram Services Inadequate.
About 1027, it became apparent that the existing tramways services from the centre of the city, even with feeders, did not provide adequate transport facilities to the many new residential areas growing up on the fringe of the city, and the decision was taken to operate buses on new routes from the city to the suburbs. Since then, only one short tramways route has been laid down, whilst many radial bus services have been inaugurated.
The services have been modified and extended from time to time, and now include those to:----Meanwood: Carr Manor ; Alwoodley (a circular route) ; Shadwell ; Horsforth via Hawkesworth Estate ; Moortown (Ring Road) via Harehills and Gledhow ; East End Park (an inner suburban route) ; New Earnley; Pudsey via Swinnow Reed; and Old Farnley via Wortley and Hyde Park
Leeds has also dealt successfully with a common problem—the dissatisfaction of passengers, on longer tramways services, with the length of time their journeys took. Leeds operated a number of long-distance tramways services, mostly outside the city, these being to Guiseley, via Horsforth and Rawdon; Tingley via Morley; Bruntcliffe via Morley; Rodley ; and Pudsey via Stanningley. The substitution of the two last mentioned within the past few months has marked the elimination of all these.
All the replacing bus services start from the city, except the Guiseley service, which has been linked with an existing service from the city northeastwards to Hain Park, and Services in the opposite direction to Otley and Burley to provide througbliollin ParkOtley and HoIlin Park-Burley routes.
At the same time as these replacements have been gradually made, a number of short-distance tram routes has also been abandoned, to relieve traffic congestion and to facilitate service working, some of the routes having had only. single-track tramways. The Hyde Park circular route was the first of these to be dealt with in 19134, and the South Accommodation Road route (south-east of the city) and the Domestic Street route (south-west) have followed. The two last-mentioned have been extended, on replacement by buses, to provide circular routes.
The outer section of the Halton tramroute has also been abandoned and existing bus services to the east of the city augmented to provide a 15-minute service to Halton, with extensions on different journeys to Stanks and Colton respectively. Current housing developments in Leeds are mainly concerned with municipal estates. In this connection, the economical operation of oil-engined buses (referred to again below) has led to their choice for services to the new estates, A service has been put into operation to the Gipton Estate (east of the city), whilst the Belle Isle Estate (south of the city) is served by a through service "married " with the Cardigan Road (Headingley) service (another tram-route recently abandoned) to provide cross-city facili ties. Another recent innovation is another cross-city service from Cardigan Road to Beeston, operating over the Beeston tram-route.
In addition to the normal bus ser vices, special services of various kinds are provided. Examples of these are the all-night services, all operated by buses working over six city-suburban routes, and the joint express service to Bradford, operated in conjunction with Bradford Corporation.
As will he readily appreciated, the
fast expansion of bus services has necessitated a rapid increase in the fleet and the number of vehicles in operation has grown from 117, in 1934, to 262 to-day. The increase in carrying capacity is even greater, as all the services are now operated by double-deck vehicles, with the exception of two intersuburban services and the route to B runtcliffe.
The fleet consists of 248 double deckers (202 A.E.C.s, 40 LeyIarids, six Guys) and 14 single-deckers (six A.E.C.s and eight Leylands) . The six A.E.C. single-deckers are petrolengined, as are 12 A.E.C. and five Leyland doubledeckers, but the remaining 239 buses have oil engines.
Leeds was a pioneer in the
use of oil-engined units, having as many as five in operation as early as 1933. It is interesting to note that Leeds was a pre-war operator of trolley vehicles, but the last of them was withdrawn in 1929 and motorbuses have since been favoured to their exclusion.
One operating problem that has attended the growth of the bus fleet is the question of conveniently placed garage accommodation. Up to 1934 the whole fleet was housed at Donisthorpe Street (south of the central area), but the extensive developments rendered the provision of additional depots in the suburbs necessary. A new depot, adjoining the tram depot, has been built at Headingley (north) and a new combined bus and tram depot at Torre Road, near York Road (east).
The former tram-depots at 11m:islet (south) and Guiseley (west) are also used for housing buses, and there is a bus garage at the department's Kirkstall Road works (west of the central area), so that there is now a depot in each section of the city. The Torre Road depot houses 100 buses and each of the others approximately 50 (except Guiseley, where 20 machines are accommodated.
Maintenance is centralized at Donis. thorpe Street, and the only work carried out at the garages is cleaning and refuelling, greasing, lubricating and minor adjustments (including attention to brakes). Approximately every 10,000 miles, each vehicle returns to Donisthorpe Street for a thorough overhaul and (where necessary) the replacement of units. The system of unitreplacement is adopted, rather than
effecting substantial repairs. The maintenance scheme has proved most effective and the buses average only one involuntary mechanical stop per. 60,000 miles. It should be remarked that the Donisthorpe Street Depot also deals with the maintenance of about 100 motor vehicles operated by other corporation departments (ambulances, lorries, etc.).
Bus Station Used by Private Operators.
A description has already appeared, in this journal, of the municipal bus station, brought into service last autumn, constructed on a 2i-acre site and including six covered platforms of a total length of 1,665 ft. It is used by all private operators working services to the south and east of the city, except the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., which has its own bus stations. The majority of the, corporation bus services terminating in the city has now had its termini transferred to the bus station. Upwards of 10,000 vehicles per week use the station.
It was originally intended to extend the bus station to approximately double its present size and to transfer to it the termini of all services operating into the city. It has been realized, however, that this would involve a heavy increase of light running and traffic congestion, as there is a distance of approximately half a mile from most of the existing termini on the west side of the city to the bus station, and it is understood that the authorities are considering the erection of two additional bus stations on the fringe of the central area—one to the west and one to the south.