Some Details of its Provisions and How They will Affect Bus Operators.
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THE Motor-vehicle and Road-traffic_ Bill, which was introduced recently in the Northern Ireland House of Commons, is of importance to bus operators, because a great deal of the measure is concerned with the administration of the law in regard to the regulation of public-service-vehicle
time-tables, fares, etc. Other aspects of road traffic are dealt with, but with these we are Rot concerned here.
When moving the second reading of the Bill, the Minister of Home Affairs referred to the fact that, under the 1926 Act, a driver who had his licence endorsed for speeding had to wait three years before he could obtain a cle.an sheet if in the meantime no conviction had been recorded. Under the new Bill a driver who has kept clear of the police for. a year may obtain'a clean sheet provided the offence for which the licence was endorsed is not a serious one, such as dangerous driving or drunkenness in charge of a car. The Minister ja ointed out that, in the majority of cases, public-service vehicles are now driven carefully and with due regard to the public'safety and drivers are endeavouring to observe the law.
Another clause of the Bill will enable the Ministry of Home Affairs to make 'regulations for the government of traffic generally, not only •of motor vehicles, but • of horse-drawn vehicles, tramcars and even pedestrians. Such regulations will not be made hastily, the • Minister explained, but before any definite conclusion on a particular point is arrived at the matter will be referred to the Roads Advisory Committee for its advice and assistance.
The second part of the Bill deals with the system of licensing .public-service vehicles, as laid down in the Act of .1926, and with control. The system of licence control which it is proposed to put into operation involves control of the bus services and the regulation of routes, time-tables and fares, with the object of insuring that proper and efficient road-travelling facilities will be provided at reasonable fares.
Dealing with the question of the tramways service of Belfast the Minister stated that the place for the bus in the transport system of Belfast was in connection with the provision ofexpress services on the longer routes, which, owing to lack of density of population, did not justify tramways transport. It was only right to admit that much yet remained to be done to bring the transport facilities in the city up to the standard which the citizens are entitled to expect.
One question regarding passenger road transport which had been causing him a great deal of concern, said the Minister, was the question of fares. He said that the position as a whole was unsatisfactory and that in some cases fares were too high and in other eases too low. From the inception of bus traffic in Northern Ireland the fares were not planned on a scientific basis and were without any relation to running costs.'
He made it known that the Government intended to set up a tribunal, including Sir Lynden Macassey, who was a recognized authority on traffic problems. It would be open to any operator who felt that his fares were unreasonably low to apply to the tribunal to have them revised. A full opportunity would be given for persons interested to state any case that they might have against the increase in fares,
• and it wonld,be open to any representative body in the area affected to make representations.
Matters relating to roads and timetables will remain in the bands of the Ministry. So that representation can be given to railway proprietors on the Roads Advisory Committee it is proposed to increitie the number of members by one. In considering bus services, it was explained by the Minister that they must consider the ratepayers and the local authorities with regard to roads over which the buses rim. It was important that buses should not be allowed to run over a road which was unfit to carry them and that local authorities should not be involved in an undue expense in the maintenance of unsuitable roads as the result of unnecessary bus services. Accordingly, it was provided in the Bill that, besore any service over a new road was approved, the county surveyor should be consulted as to the suitability of the road.