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All Aboard at Fanum House AN important milestone in the progress of the Automobile Association was reached with the opening last week of what may be termed the " reconstituted " national headquarters—Fanum House, Leicester Square, London.
Half a century ago a small suite was taken at the present address. Now the building occupies the entire island site, and has been redesigned in every detail from a basement car park for operational vehicles to a 60-ft. radio mast on the roof. Baronial halls are virtually eclipsed by the spacious and well-furnished reception rooms for visiting members amongst the 2,200,000 who will benefit by the great improvements in a service which was already excellent, and one reception office will be open throughout the 24 hours to provide for emergencies.
The nerve centre of the radio-controlled road and other aids now operates over an area of 47,000 square miles. It comprises a most cleverly designed operations room, seen from the entrance hall through a wide, curved-glass screen. Here, in map-lined cubicles arranged in step formation around two semi-elliptical staircases, are the 30 men who are trained to answer almost every conceivable question.
A30 The telephone exchange, one of the largest and most modern automatic switchboards in Britain, can handle more than a million incoming calls a year. A teleprinter centre links 34 A.A. offices through four group centres, whilst messages can be sent to any part of the building by a pneumatic-tube system in which the carriers are electronically guided.
In the underground park a turntable permits goods vehicles to drive directly into the basement without reversing. • There are nine main floors, a new central staircase, and one for the staff, and four new lifts. Even the main entrance has been changed and is now on the Leicester Square frontage.
Fleet Standardization on an Island
the whole public transport of an island to be powered exclusively by one 'make of engine in one make of chassis is something of a feat, even if the island be Bermuda, which is only 24 miles long and has a maximum speed limit of 20 m.p.h.
The fleet of the island's Public Transportation Board, based at Hamilton, is comprised of 70 Seddon buses with Perkins engines. Twenty are 25-seaters with four-cylindered P4 units, and the others have 35 seats and six-eylindered P6 engines. The Board previously owned 20 buses of another make. also with P6 units, and when these went out of service their engines were removed and are either still in use or in the fleet's engine "float." Most of the large buses have underfloor units, but several are at the back, the latter models 'being used mainly for sight-seeing, for which they have been found particularly suitable.
During 1958 the fleet carried nearly 31m.. passengers and covered over 1km, miles. The revenue totalled some £205,000 and resulted in a net profit of a little more than £24,000. The director of the Board, Mr. J. G. Woodall, has pointed out that, owing to the speed limit and many stops, the vehicles can average Only 12 m.p.h. and the total year mileage of each bus is about 20,000. But the first 10 Seddon buses, delivered in 1950, are still going strong with their original engines, and he cannot recall any serious loss of time as a result of failure of any power unit. it is of interest to note that, because of the narrow roads, the smaller vehicles are limited to a width of 7 ft. and the larger to 7 ft. 6 in.
Gingering Up Schweppes
THE police in London are entering with vigour into the scheme for saving kerb space, but not quite in the way that was intended by its progenitors. This was shown recently in Berkeley Street in the early afternoon while the
driver, of a Schweppes van was delivering at a club and came out with some empties to find that his van had vanished. Soon he was informed that -the police had removed it, as they are doing so frequently in the case of cars. .The descent upon the vehicle must have been made very rapidly, as the delivery and collection took only a few minutes.
For trade and industry to be pestered in this way is bringing matters to a pretty pass and shows a lamentable lack of appreciation by the police of the difficulties facing those who have to maintain supplies to business and other premises. If this procedure spreads even the police canteens may find themselves running dry..
Pills to Keep Drivers Lively
THE police in widespread areas in America are taking action against suppliers of amphetamine drugs, known as "goof balls," to lorry drivers. This is the result of a two-year investigation begun after a man complained that his son's health had been ruined by such drugs bought at a driver's halt.
Agents of the Departments concerned, posed as truck drivers in gathering evidence, and the charges involve the sales of from 10 to 1,000 tablets at a time. A drug firm is also being charged with the alleged offences of dispensing these in unlabelled bottles and without prescriptions. Evidence of huge profits is said to have been found, and that pills bought wholesale at about 27s. per 1,000 were sold to drivers at is. 6d. -each. The pills are said to be dangerous because they permit continued activity beyond the normal point of exhaustion.
Several of the defendants have already been found guilty and sentenced to terms ranging from one to eight years, although in most cases where these have been on several counts the sentences have been made concurrent, so that not more than a year will be served.