'Forked tongue' bid in Birstall battle
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THE battle over the provision of extended tour facilities from the West Yorkshire town of Birstall (CM, April 15), continued before the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners.
Following the failure of two bids to obtain a licence by the small independent, Gordon Lurrib, trading as Nova Coaches, Wallace Arnold Tours Ltd, National Travel (East) Ltd, Shearings Holidays Ltd, Pleasureways (1955) Ltd, Heaps Tours Ltd and Happiway Tours (Manchester) Ltd all lodged applications.
Decision has already been reserved in respect of the Wallace Arnold application.
For National, Peter Fingret said in the decision on the last Nova Coaches application, the Commissioners said that although they had no doubt that the existing facilities were adequate, they agreed that a picking up point in Birstall would be an improvement.
However, there was no eviience that the existing situation was creating undue hard3hip, he said.
As a result of these comments, National and Wallace Nrnold discussed the matter and decided to apply to fill any gap there might be.
Wallace Arnold felt National should only offer a restrictHI programme from Birstall, whilst National believed it ;hould be able to offer its full 'ange of facilities.
The only way the existing Dalance between the operators ould be maintained was ..ither to refuse all the applica:ions or to grant those of Nallace Arnold, National, ?leasureways and Shearings. Happiways heldlicences 'rom Halifax and Bradford.
Peter Green, operations nanager central of National ['ravel (East), did not believe a 3irstall picking up point would attract people from Bradford and Halifax to the National rogramme. He maintained that if Happiways were authorised from Birstall it would enable it to draw traffic from a number of very large towns which it did not as present serve.
He admitted that Birstall was only six miles from Bradford.
After National had indicated it was prepared to accept a grant of limited facilities only, Happiways withdrew its objection to the National application, on the understanding that National would not pursue its objection to Happiways. Wallace Arnold continued to oppose the National application, and Mr Fingret continued to oppose the National application, and Mr Fingret accused the company of , -speaking with a forked tongue", saying that last September, Wallace Arnold had indicated it would not oppose a National application for limited facilities.
The Commissioners reserved their decision on the National application and the hearing was adjourned after public evidence in support of the Happiway application.