COACH TOURS AND TRIPS DURING NEWCASTLE RACE WEEK,
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How the Tynesider's Annual Holiday was Spent.
VOR ONE week in each year the Tyne
sicler puts behind him all cares and worries and enjoys himself to his heart's content. This is during Tyneside's own holiday, the Newcastle race week, is funotion which, since its inception many years ago, has developed into quite the most popular holiday of the year for Northerners. This year the holiday week was from June 19th to 24th, and local motor coach owners and concerns, who had been busily engaged for some weeks in advance preparing to cater for
the wants of the holiday-makers, operated some exceedingly attractive tours and outings.
A three-days' tour to Keswick and the Lake District was conducted with success by the Northern General Transport. Co.; whilst the Ouseburn Transport Co.,
ho specialize in this class of work: carried out the first of their five days' Scottish tours for the 1922 season. This had been booked up well in advance, and commenced on June 19th, the route being by way of Edinburgh to Oban, where a full day was spent. The return trip was via the ww•t, coast of Scotland. The charge of £10, which covered firstclass hotel accommodation and conveyance in one of the company's newly-purchased 14-:seated Crossley coaches on pneumatics, was extremely moderate, and should materially assist in popularizing the motor coach as the means of spending a holiday of from two to five or six days, instead of by railway, as residents of this district have hitherto done. Numerous full-day and half-day trips were also run to the surrounding seaside and country resorts during tbe week by many owners in the Newcastle district
In catering for race-going traffic, the coach this year achieved an undoubted victory, and an innovation on the part of the local authorities for 'controlling this traffic met with particular success, and was warmly commended on all sides. Previously, vehicles, both motor and horse, plying with passengers from the city to the course, which is at Gosforth Park, some five miles away, wended their way along the city thoroughfares picking up passengers, and, incidentally, causing great congestion of traffic. This year, however, following the example set ia (Adler parts of the country, the authorities carefidly laid their plans in advance and set apart certain portions of the city as a " park," to which all vehicles were restricted. This " park " commenced opposite the Central railway station, where the foremost coaches lined up, and extended back along Neville Street, up a portion of Westmorland Road, and along Blenheim Street, which Tuns off the last-named thoroughfare.
Even these adequate arrangements, however, did not suffice to accommodate the large numbers of coaches being operated to deal with the vast numbers of -people Who, attracted by the fine weather which prevailed during the major portion of the race meeting, favoured the open road, in preference to other and less pleasant metlhods of reaching the course. Consequently, George Street, a street perallel to Blenheim Street, was added to the " park " and during the busiesh parts of the day the line of waiting vehicles must have been nearly a mile long. Easily between 200 and 300 coaches, buses, etc., were in service in conveying persons from Newcastle alone to the racecourse. As the leading coaches were loaded up from the large crowd gathered in the vicinity of the Central static-n, the line moved up, and vehicles returning from Gosforth fell in at the end of the long line, and awaited their next turn. This is the first occasion in which such detailed organization has been brought to bear in controlling motor coach traffic in the Tyneside capital The success was undeniable.
The Northern General Transport Co. devoted quite a large portion of their huge fleet of Daimler coaches and saloon omnibuses to this traffic.; and amongst the other local owners who took a prominent part were Messrs. Galley, the Ouseburif Transport Co., the 'United Automobile Services, Ltd., • Messrs. Walton, of Gateshead, etc.
Coach Trips to Training Camps.
Ever willing and anxious to be of service to the people of the huge distriet in which they operate, the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., of Chesterle-Street, during last week operated numerous successful moter coach trips to the various Territorial camps in the north country, providing relatives with a comfortable and pleasant means of reaching the training camps, which are, in some cases, not very easy accessible by railroad; Quite a number of people availed themselves of the opportunity of visiting the. Northumberland Hussars' camp at Alnwick on June •25th, the coaches leaving the Haymarket. Newcastle, at 10 a.m., and returning about 9 p.m. The return fare was 6s. 6c1. On Wednesday last the, annual sports were held at the camp, and again the Northern Co. operated trips to the camp, and received generous patronage. The Northumbrian Infantry Brigade, who are in camp at Catterick, also held their sports on the same clay, and trips operated from Bewicic Street, Newcastle, leaving at 9 .a.m., and Teaching the ground in good time, also conveyed large numbers of relatives, and afforded them an opportunity of visiting the sports and spending a day with the men. The return fare in thi5 instance was 8s.
Influence of Motor Passenger Vehicles.
" What, will be the influence of the motor vehicles on local government? was one of the questions raised at the annual conference of urban district councils held at St. Annes. One speaker said that the development of mechanical transport in the last 25 years was going to make a complete change in local governmentefor the reason that it was thspereing the population over larger areas, and it was making a community of interest over far biggee populations than had existed before, and it was making possible government from a single centre of is much larger area than' formerly, Therefore, whether they, as individeal authorities, liked it. or not, inevitably they were faced with great and important effects and developments.
Coach Licence Refused.
Swansea Watch Committee has refused to grant a licence to Mr. Jenkins, of Skelly, for a motor char-is-banes service between Skelty and Mumbles on Thursdays and Sundays during the 'summer months.
To Build Coach Stations.
It is stated in char-a-hancs circles that a company will shortly be promoted to build imposing coach stations'in certain of the cities and towns in the Midlands and North of England.
The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society has six Dennis motor coaches which it has named the McLeod Motor Service, after a former secretary and pioneer.
We learn from Dorking that complaints have been made about the growing practibe of leaving motor coaches unattended in the streets. The attention of the police has been drawn to the matter, and we would advise owners of coaches to point out to their drivers that they may be fined for indulging in this practice.