MR. MACVE APPEALS FOR LESS SPEEDING
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DIRECTED towards greater road safety, an appeal has been circulated to all coach and bus operators in the North-western Area, by Mr. W. E. Macve, chairman of the Traffic Commissioners. It refers to the driving of public-service vehicles at a speed greater than 30 m.p.h. The chairman states that he has received complaints and, as a result of observation, has to admit that excessive speeding does exist.
The matter, it is stated, goes further, and the employer may become liable to a penalty where schedules are too "tight." An additional menace to road safety is the tendency for coaches to travel in close convoy, and he asks that this should cease.
He mentions the work of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, which awards certificates and medals to safe drivers. He draws the attention of those concerns which are not already members, to the North-western Area address at Commerce House, 39, High Street. Manchester, 4.
SOUTH AFRICAN PARK ROYAL BODY ON REGAL
TE first post-war A.E.C. Regal ingle-deck bus was formally handed over to the transport department of the East London Municipality, South Africa, recently. The new vehicle, the first of five similar ones to be delivered through Dowson and Dobson, Ltd., A.E.C. distributor in Johannesburg, has the first all-metal, single-deck body to be designed and built in South Africa by Park Royal-B.M.S., Ltd., Johannesburg.
Incorporating a Regal Mark I chassis with a 17-ft. 6-in, wheelbase and 7.7-litre direct-injection oil engine, the 35-seater presents an attractive appearance in the cream and blue livery of the city fleet. For exterior and interior panelling, 18-gauge aluminium has been used and insulating material has been placed between the two roof skins. Windows are of the Rawlings half-drop pattern and large extractor ventilators ensure a good circulation of air. An interesting innovation in a normal design of cab is the provision of a window opening into the passenger saloon, which enables the driver to issue tickets when a conductor is not carried.
Building of this and other bodies for the East London municipality by the newly established H.M.S. company in South Africa, which is affiliated to Park Royal Coachworks, Ltd., Abbey Road, London, N.W.I0, has meant, and will mean, marked expedition in delivery. .
It is interesting to record that the East London municipality purchased its first A.E.C.s—Ranger 24-seaters—in 1935; four years later this small fleet had registered a total mileage of 2,000,000.
"MIDLAND RED" RECORD
ON the four days of the Bank Holiday period over 5,000,000 passengers were carried on the ordinary stagecarriage services of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., and a new traffic record was set up. Mileage operated was over 900,000. In addition, a total of 712 coach tours and private-hire jobs was operated, 25,479 passengers having been carried over a mileage of 124,237.
BEACH BUSES PROFITABLE QOUTHPORT sands bus service, 0.1 operated since June 8, has-proved S.3 profitable that the transport committee is purchasing eight more converted troop carriers for use next summer. Over 55,000 passengers have so far been carried by four vehicles operating this service.
The transport committee has also decided to purchase 12 new Leyland double-deck buses.
DEPUTY TO BE APPOINTED
PLYMOUTH Transport Committee is to introduce the post of deputy manager. There has, in the past, been a second in command to the transport manager, Mr. C. Jackson, but until now there has not been a recognized position of deputy manager.
TRACTOR TRAINS FOR HOLIDAYMAKERS
A NEW and interesting form of pas
senger transport is being used by Butlin's, Ltd., at holiday camps. Trains of modernistic and attractive trailers are drawn by Planet oil-engined tractors. They carry 72 passengers in all, and serve as economical and efficient internal transport. Elsewhere in this issue appears an illustration.
The Planet tractors, which have 2DX Fowler-SAnders oil trigines, are supplied by F. C. Hibberd and Co., Ltd., Coronation Road, Park Royal, London, N.W.I0, and the six carriages or trailers, each carrying 12 people, are made by Barnards, Ltd., Norwich. Mounted on welded-steel frames, they have four 16-in. by 4-in, heavy-duty pneumatictyred wheels. Either pair of. wheels can be made steerable on theAckerman principle, and the trailing pair then locked. One pair of wheels on each trailer has Clayton Dewandre vacuumservo brakes, operated by the tractor driver.
Carriage floors are of 14-in, hardwood, and seat frames are of tubular steel, with varnished wood seats.
Similar trains have been supplied to the Whipsnade Zoo, far purposes of internal transport.
EDINBURGH TRANSPORT HAS ITS OWN LAUNDRY
ONE of the most interesting branches of Edinburgh. Corporation's transport department is the'Shrubhill Depot laundry, where not onlylaundry work, but soap-making, is . carried on. Although largely employed 'on laundering dusters and similar essential textiles used in cleaning and maintaining vehicles, the laundry unit cleans the coats of transport workers and similar items.
The soap-making plant was installed to meet the need for a soap which would not destroy vehicle paintwork, as .did the bar soap formerly used. Some 24 cwt. of. semi-soft soap is produced weekly for distribution to other depots.