Transport Problems in Northern Ireland
Page 25
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A Résumé of an Interesting Paper Read by Mr. J. A. Clarke, A.M.Inst.T., Before Members of the Belfast Rotary Club
ON January 23 Mr. J. A. Clarke. A.M.Inst.T., secretary and chief executive (finance) of the Viortbern Ireland Road Transport Board, gave an interesting address to he Belfast Rotary Club, on the sublect of " Road Transport."
He said that a glance at a road .map Df Northern Ireland will show how the province, in a special way, lends itself to road transport. There are 13,000 miles of highways, or two and a half miles psisquare mile.
The main volume flows from and to Belfast, the longest haul being about 100 miles, but there is none of. those substantial and continuous streams of traffic which are the life-blood of carriers in Great Britain. Merchandise is in relatively small lots and conveyed• for short distances.
On the passenger side, the main volume Centres around Belfast in good volume, frona mid-June to mid-September, rnaiply towards seaside and tourist centres but the average journey is short. Bus and 'lorry, therefore, had a good setting for development, and they soon become ubiquitous.
Co-ordination of Much Road Passenger Transport
The passenger industry, had a measure of regulation and restrictiOn, and in time fusions took place. Ag a result, there were two quite substantial bus companies. Later, -the railways began to acquire bus undertakings in •
their respective territories.
• The freight side was, however, different. There are about 750 miles of railway track, and before the advent of the lorry a considerable volume conveyed over the railways had to be . carted quite-long distances from and to stations. There was inevitable delay caused, by transhipment at the termini. Traders soon availed themselves of the new means for transport, also enterprising men saw that they could operate for hire or reward. Hauliers multiplied, the number in 1934 being some 1,100, mostly in competition with the railways and many competing amongst themselves. _ Competition with the railways caused their position swiftly to deteriorate, and in 1935 the Government created the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board. It was hoped that this would bring adjustment between road and rail and so correlate the road activities that
• the country would have a robust publictransport system. This end, however, was not achieved, and at the outbreak of war public transiort. was in a very precarious position, On thea passenger side, the *three greatest influences on the life and thought of this generation are the bui, cinema and wireless. Mr. Clarke. gave first place to the bus. It had brought abotit a great revolution in the ;habits of the people, particularly in rural areas, and had infused new life into the countryside. It had brought convenient travel within the reach of all, and in many country districts had become . a sort Of social club.. "
He'. believed -that,. with the prbvision of good road services, the normal line would riSe. in the .future, The Board's, services operate over 2,166 milts, providing for almost every village and
haralet. • .; .
. An important advantage of•-the road vehicle is its relatively short life. It is not like the railway coach. It can be economically renewed every, eight _years, which means that, with a bus fleet of say, 500 vehicles 60 .buses of -the. latest and most modern ,design can
beiraported into the fleet each year. -.
This bus traffic, particularly tourist,. constitutes, a valuable' adjunct to the 'business of the pi-ovine-6 and. d.eserVes the maximum support and co-operation of all. It occupies a foremost place in the plans of the Board, and it is proposed, by the provision .of good transport and by advertising, to make the province increasingly attractive. After the war the Board will not be slow to avail itself of neW buses in reasonable numbers. . •
• Last year • " the Board carried 70,000,000 . passengers, and ran 21,000,000 bus-miles. The post-war volume may well be substantially greater than before 1939. Even now, restrictions are gradually being withdrawn, and suspended services will be
restored as .quickly as possible. 4,■•
Some Interesting Data Concerning Road Freights On the freight side, there were in 1939 abOut 9,000 lorries, excluding those lieenSed for agricultwe. Of these, 500 were operated by the Board. It was estimated that about 4,000,000 tons of traffic were carried annually by privately . owned lorries, whilst the Board carried 933,000-tons in 1939, and
the railways 1,000,000 tons, excluding livestock. Thus the Board does not have a monopoly, and will not have .while the private merchant can use his ,own vehicle--a policy which has been definitely supported , by the Board; which considers there should be no interference with it.
, In the Board's freight undertaking is to be found a diversity of business, such as is unified in no other. road undertaking. Its services .include collection and delivery, trUnk and:heavy haulage, furniture removal and conveyance, and the carriage of livestock-, At its central depot in Befast it handles 8000 to 10,000 packages nightly. There are 46 depots operating lorries, whilst 69 agents maintain citise contact with the needs of agriculture, industry and commerce..
Since the war the Board has increased its passenger fares by lp per cent., and its freight rates generally by 25 per cent., except for livestock, for whiCh the rates have been. raised only 15 per cent.. The Government is the sole owner of the Board—in other words, it is be property of the corntannity. The total of stock. and borrowed money was e3,869,239; of Ihis sum; R2;250,000 represents the amount paid for goA
Self-supported Transport Needed to Give Stability
Looked at dispassionately, the six -counties of Northern Ireland lend themselves to, and should be made, a model of co-ordinated transport. The prosperity enjoyed by the railways and the Boardin recent years will, in Mr. Clarke's opiiiion, be short-lived, and there is great need for attention in this " sphere, so that the stability of public transport will not be impaired in its passage from the abnormal conditions of war to the normal ways of peace.
In his view, public transport should be self-supporting and should operate to meet the needs, including those of agriculture and commerce, with the most efficient and economical services. There is no room in Northern Ireland. for Competition between road and rail. He believes that the two are interdependent and should be so coordinated that the best of each is preserved in a single undertaking: where identities are suuk and prejudices removed.