IN YOUR OPINION
Page 56
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Newcastle Redevelopment—and Buses IT is astonishing how local government departments some
times work against each other, often due to council policy. A case in point is happening at Newcastle upon Tyne, which is embarking on one Of the most ambitious redevelopment schemes taking place in this country.
The man behind this scheme is Mr. Wilfred Burns, the city's planning officer. He is a man with a tremendous vision, as anyone studying the Newcastle redevelopment plans will quickly realize. Yet in his paper "Policies for Large Boroughs" (summarized in The Commercial Motor of December 13), Mr. Burns made this startling remark: "The urban bus is quite out of scale with most town centres, it is noisy and, in hilly towns, a creator of fumes. It is becoming progressively more out of scale with its environment, and there is a great unexplored field in which bus operators and civic designers could profitably cooperate."
Just what Mr. Burns had in mind when he spoke of this "unexplored field" is a matter for conjecture, but he went on to speak of small, automatically guided buses. The out-of-scale and noisy buses to which Mr. Burns refers are presumably the new rear-engined Atlanteans operated by Newcastle City Transport. These are now being employed to replace Newcastle's excellent trolleybus system, thus rapidly increasing the proportion of dieselengined passenger vehicles operating in the city. It is interesting to reflect that Newcastle has, for many years, operated trolleybuses of identical proportions to the "out of scale" motorbuses now replacing them. Perhaps the silent and clean operation of these vehicles has disguised their overall size!
Newcastle is a city of traffic congestion, no doubt partly blamed on the trolleybuses. It is a revelationto get stuck in the nearside lane behind a Newcastle trolleybus pickingup at a stop, and then see the road open up in front of you as the vehicle accelerates rapidly away, leaving the other traffic standing, including the " giant " new buses replacing them. Mr. Burns talks about automaticallyguided buses, which would need specially equipped roads far more elaborate than the existing trolleybus overhead system. The trolleybus system surely lends itself much more easily to adaptation to some sort of automatic or semi-automatic system. An opportunity, perhaps, for Newcastle to lead the way in the transport field as well as the planning field.
East Barnet, Herts. EXPATRIATE NOVOCASTRIAN.
Big Engine, Small Engine?
VOUR technical editor's road test of the Austin' Brockhouse artic (The Commercial Motor, Nov. 22), entitled "Small Engined Big Vehicle" was, in my opinion, prejudiced comment and abuse of a privileged position. Throughout this article Mr. Moon rides his hobby horse. It is obvious that he favours an over-engined type of vehicle. Surely it is the duty of your magazine to report the ability and short-comings of a vehicle in an impartial manner?
a22 One would agree, I think, that "there are horses for courses ", and the B.M.C. unit referred to suits the purpose of many operators. No doubt, in due course, your correspondent will test similar types of vehicle to the B.M.C., but of different manufacture, and it will be interesing to see what he will produce.
Wilmslow, Cheshire. D. THOMAS.
[Are you sure there is no prejudice yourself, Mr, Thomas? The controversy about engine size in big vehicles is as old as the hills. John Moon stated his opinion (as readers expect him 'to do); Mr. Thomas is obviously in favour of small power/weight ratios and so he, too, can state his opinion. As the writer of this letter obviously appreciates, an impartial report on the ability and shortcomings of a vehicle is a journal's duty. All road test reports in The Commercial Motor are based on the facts adduced during a comprehensive test programme. Opinions on those facts (both Mr. Moon's and Mr. Thomas') can vary, so we are glad to publish them all. Incidentally, Mr. Thomas, you might care to read the road test in this issue—En.] Driving Licences—and the R.H.A.
BECAUSE at any particular stage there is no specific new: on one or other of the many issues with which thi: Association is dealing, Mr. Norman Tilsley must not assum( that nothing is being done.
In contradiction to his statement in your issue 01 December 20, a good deal is being done to deal with and if possible, remove, the anomaly whereby a man's privat( driving licence can be endorsed for offences in respect of 2 vehicle which was he was not driving.
For example, we are now able to announce that memorandum on the subject has been agreed for sub mission to the Minister of Transport by the Road Haulago Association, Passenger Vehicle Operators Association Traders Road Transport Association, Royal Automobilo Club, Automobile Association, British Road Federation an Scottish Road Passenger Transport Association. Severa other organizations have indicated their support of wha is being done.
In addition the Association will certainly support a cas, which helps to clarify the present legal position. Naturally the Association is anxious not to waste the money o members on a case which is not suitable. It is difficult to understand why Mr. Tilsley should find this a pretext fo criticism.
He has been incorrectly informed in his statemen that the Association acted contrary to the opinion of it legal advisors, first in deciding to support the Venable case and secondly in deciding not to take the case furthet In fact, on both occasions, the Association acted in complet accordance with the views of its legal advisors.
London, W.C.1. F. R. LYON, Public Relations Officer, Road Haulage Association.
[Mr. Tilsley did not "assume that nothing was being done' He asked the Association what they were doing. A spokv man said that no plans were afoot. Now, it appears, th Association has changed its mind—En.]