TRACKLESS TRAMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 306, 28 December 1931, Page 3

TRACKLESS TRAMS.

SOLVE TRANSPORT PROBLEMS

POPULARITY ABROAD.

JEW ZEALANDER IMPRESSED,

Wherever he went, Mr. F. Thompson, rreneral manager of the Christchurch Tramways Board, who returned yesterday by the Niagara from a world tour, found the tramway services in difficulties, suffering from various forms of competition. He came to the conclusion that Christchurch was on right lines in (roing in for trackless trams, which he found making great headway in America and England. One of the most serious causes of the falling off in tramway receipts was the private motor car, as private owners not only preferred their own vehicles, but gave lift's to their friends, who would otherwise have travelled by the trams. Mr. ■ Thompson found that the New Zealand tramway systems compared well with systems in other parts of the world, both as regards speed of operation and comfort. Owing to denser population overseas systems could run more frequent services, and that was the main advantage they had over tiie jjow Zealand systems.

The trolley-bus, as trackless' trains were called, struck Mr. Thompson as being the method of transport that would get the tramway authorities out of their difficulties. They were being run successfully abroad, especially in England, in Chicago, and in Salt Lake City. Being so adaptable and economical they were a success where the track trams were finding it increasingly difficult to pay. Chicago had, the biggest fleet of trolley-buses in the world, but England seamed to have taken up the system more widely than the United States. The United Tramways Company of London had a very fine system of trackless trams running to Twickenham and Richmond on the Thames. Suitable for New Zealand. Trackless trains would be a great idea for a country like New Zealand, wliere the petrol for the motor buses cost practically twice as much as it did in England. The system also cost less to -run, as depreciation was considerably less than in the ease of trams, and the life of the vehicles was longer, as wear ami tear was less,. Tracklcss trains were also favoured where tram tracks were in/such a state that renewals were too expensive. While trackless trams were not quite so mobile as motor buses they were popular with people Avho had got accustomed to riding in vehicles with pneumatic tyres, and who preferred that method of travelling to travelling on steel wheels and steel rails. From every point of.view he thought the tracklcss trains .would solve many of the difficulties the tramway authorities were experiencing in New Zealand. He had formulated plans for a system for Christchurch and he had drawn up a.report which would be submitted to his board.