New Approach on "Staggering"
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THE Minister of Transport announced last week that he had set up a new committee to further the staggering of working hours in central London. The chairman is Mr. John Fitzgerald, J.P., chairman of the Transport Users' Consultative Committee for London,. The new committee has taken over from a small sub-committee of the T.U.C.C., 'which. was also presided over by Mr. Fitzgerald.
The committee, which will be executive rather than advisory, has as its terms of reference:
to consider and to set in train further measures for me staggering of working hours no as to relieve congestion at the peak periods on the services to and from central London provided by London Transport and British Railways; to review changes in the day-time population of central London, particularly those arising from the erection of new buildings, and to endeavour to avoid any consequent increase of congestion; to recommend to the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation any measures which it may consider desirable but find itself unable to initiate: and to report progress to him at leant once a year.
Represented on the committee are the Corporation of London, London County Council, Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee, British Employers' Confederation, Trades Union Congress, Transport Users' Consultative Committee for London, Ministry of Transport and British Transport Commission.
Mr. G. J. Dickins, traffic development officer, London Transport Executive, and a member of the T.U.C.C. for London, is the B.T.C. representative, and Mr. L. G. Burleigh, transport officer, Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., the T.U.C.C.'s representative.
At a Press conference, the Minister, Mr. H. Watkinson, said the committee went into action last week. The chairman had advised him that their plan of campaign would be pressed forward with speed.
In the meantime, the committee felt strongly that in view of the introduction of petrol rationing, which must throw a heavy additional load on public transport services, the staggering of working hours must be undertaken as an emergency measure, even before a systematic plan was worked out.
At the end of last year, the number of passengers on public transport entering central London between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m, was over 1,142,000; the number leaving between 4.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. was more than 1,070,000. No fewer than 188.000, or roughly a sixth, of those travelling outwards in the evening managed to "push and squeeze into the buses and trains" between 5.30 and 5.45 p.m.
Emphasizing the "enormous" difference in conditions 15 minutes before and after that period, Mr. Watkinson said that between. 5.15 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. the number of passengers was 149,000, and between 5.45 p.m. and 6 p.m. 151,000.
Manchester Transport Committee last week asked employers in the city to stagger working hours during the fuel crisis. The committee are to request the corporation, who employ 29,000 people, to lead in this measure.