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City Demands Exclusive Bus Service Over £500,000 Bridge

3rd January 1958, Page 38
3rd January 1958
Page 38
Page 38, 3rd January 1958 — City Demands Exclusive Bus Service Over £500,000 Bridge
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

AFTER paying £500,000 to build a new bridge across the River Trent linking Nottingham with Clifton housing estate, Nottingham Corporation should have exclusive rights to run buses over it. This was claimed by the corporation on Monday, when they asked the East Midland Traffic Commissioners to grant them five new services over the bridge to Clifton.

There were objections from We-it Bridgford Urban District Council and the South Notts Bus Co., Ltd., who at present share the Nottingham-Clifton route with Nottingham Corporation, using Trent Bridge. Mr. R. Hickman. deputy town clerk of Nottingham, said

that in 1950 Clifton was sparsely populated, and served only by South Notts. Now the three operators worked together.

The corporation had built the new bridge without Government help and the application was a perfectly natural development. It would mean a threeminute cut in journey times and a reduction of Id. in fares to the estate from the city.

If the application were granted, the corporation would discontinue their operations over Trent Bridge. At present they shared 75 per cent. of this service with West Bridgford, whilst South Notts held 25 per cent.

Mr. Hickman pointed out that all the 26,000 Clifton residents were municipal tenants, and had been moved to the estate from denser parts of Nottingham. This had meant a financial loss to the undertaking, but some of the lost revenue would be regained by an exclusive service.

Dealing with the South Notts objection, he said the company should be confined to their traditional routes, and not be allowed to drive a wedge into corporation services. For 60 years the corporation had successfully resisted attempts by other operators to break into their transport system.

Mr. Ben England, general manager of the undertaking, said the bridge would be opened on February 3.

B4 Answering Mr. R. Seely-Whitby, for South Notts, during Tuesday's hearing, he admitted that the Midland General Omnibus Co., Ltd., operated one service completely within the city boundaries, but pointed out that this was due to an extension to the boundaries in 1932. He said if the application were granted the corporation's maximum fare of 6d. would apply, compared with the existing fare of 7d.—the only exception to their maximum.

Mr. England agreed that, if the corporation withdrew their Trent Bridge services, West Bridgford would have to seek his permission to continue their operations to Clifton from Nottingham, as their agreement would be terminated. But he added that the Commissioners had other applications to hear.

[West Bridgford were applying to continue running existing services from within the city boundary to Clifton. South Notts were seeking permission to run over the new bridge, and faced objections from the other two operators.] The hearing was expected to end yesterday, 70-SEATERS FOR YORKSHIRE

"fEN new A.E.C. buses, with accommodation for 70 passengers, are to be introduced this month by the Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Co., Ltd. The front-entrance M.C.W. bodies are 30 ft. long, and have driver-operated doors. The company believe these will be the first vehicles of their type to operate in Yorkshire.

T.M.T. CHRISTMAS SUCCESS cHRISTMAS and Easter extended tours are likely to become part of the regular programme of the Trent Motor Traction Co., Ltd., following the success of their first Christmas tour, which attracted 70 passengers. Two coaches were used on the five-day trip to Bournemouth and the New Forest. The company have been operating extended tours since 1925.


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