LOGAN PARK TRAM

Evening Star, Issue 23726, 6 November 1940, Page 5

LOGAN PARK TRAM

BUILT FCR EXHIBITION USE DISTRICT SERVED BY CASTLE STREET NO JUSTIFICATION FOR BUS SERVICE The compulsory closing of the Logan Park tramline owing to the renewal and widening work at the Forth street bridge brings about a position which should have arisen at the close of the big 1925-26 Exhibition. Instead, the bridge work and the consequent halting of the tram is adopted as an excellent reason for instituting a bus service where one is not required. This decision, too, comes hot upon the heels of a promise to the Transport Commissioner to reduce the bus services.

The City Council transport department, through its chairman, makes haste to convince the public that the decision was not made in an endeavour to introduce a permanent bus service over the route. “We Irave gone into the matter very carefully,” Cr Gibson is reported as saying, “ hut the use of buses is the only course open to ns.” A clear analysis of the position, however, discloses other alternatives. It is now proposed to run the Lookout Point bus right through to Logan Park. Precisely what that means only the transport manager knows,- for a bus route will have to be mapped out along a route other than that taken by the tram. The impression persists that the institution of this bus service will be simply to cover a very small residential area abutting on to the west side of Logan Park. If a service to the park was required, the logical route for it to take would be via Anzac Highway direct, but such a service would not be warranted six days out of the seven. Only on a Saturday when important sporting fixtures are held at the park would such a bus trip be justified. As a reason for placing a bus over the route now taken by the tram it is suggested that it would be unfair to ask people to walk half a mile from the bridge to the park. Such a statement is misleading. Actually, the distance is three-tenths of a mile. For all practical purposes the terminus of the line is at the corner of Forth and Union streets, a matter of a few paces only from the bridge. Anyone familiar with the locality must accept this as a fact. Passengers gather at this point to pick up the car as it comes into town from the park, and on the outward journey the great majority get out there. A matter of two or three chains farther on (also a car stop) is Harbour. Terrace. Beyond this point there are no houses, the trams running the remaining length of the linp through what is nothing more or lees than open country to the quarry.

This is the half-mile of the route referred to by Cr Gibson over which it would be unfair to ask passengers to walk. A scrutiny of the cars yesterday afternoon disclosed the truth of this newspaper’s assertion that the majority of the passengers alight at the UnionForth street intersection. One passenger went on to Harbour Terrace during one trip, the tram then proceeding on its journey, empty, to the quarry, as it has done for the past 14 years and more.

If the terminus is at Union street then there is nothing to debar the transport department from continuing with the tram service to the south side of the Forth street bridge, and using that point as the terminus. If that plan were adopted there would be no justification for any bus service.

Tiie objection is made that a changeover loop from one line to the other would be necessary, and that this would cost somewhere in the vicinity of between £2OO and £3OO. Until the bridge is renewed a single lino could well be used. MYTHICAL PASSENGERS.

The works department could well build a small footway bridge across the Leith for the convenience, of train passengers if the point suggested was used as a terminal. Cr Wilson assures the public this would be no trouble, yet Cr Gibson is distressed because of the hardship imposed on the mythical passengers who would have to walk half a mile— : a half-mile which in effect is only three-tenths of one. The Logan Park line was built solely for Exhibition purposes. Part of its length there is a double track and part is a single one only. The latter portion of the route contains the double track. Over this length were the bridge used as a terminal point, the tram on one journey would he travelling on its wrong side of the street if connecting points between the two lines wore not built. Would this constitute a menace to traffic or a danger to life? So quiet and sequestered is the locality, so small

the volume of traffic, and so short the distance that little if any danger would exist. ■, ... ... .... The transport department’s contentions, and all the foregoing arguments, are based on the assumption that a service to this district is a vital necessity. Is it? There is a good service up and down Castle street. For all practical pui poses the discontinuance of the service altogether would mean, the cutting out of one tram on George street. OF NO PRACTICAL VALUE. The Logan Park car traverses George street, turns into Albany street, crosses the Castle street car line, and actually services nothing to this point. From there on it runs at right angles to Castle street, across Leith and Clyde streets, and then again turns into Forth street xo run parallel with Castle street, to its practical terminus at Union street. The short blocks from Forth street to Castle street should be serviced by the Castle street tram, and ho logical reason could be advanced why would-be passengers could not he asked to undertake the few minutes’ walk to that tram. A big percentage of them now do so via Union street, and past the University. As for pupils at the new training college, the biggest percentage of them walk through to the University buildings.

Does the city transport department realise the futility of this line as a money earner, and also the fact that it serves little practical purpose? If so, why does it not frankly tell the public instead of talking about passengers to Logan Park. There are none except at week-ends and on special sporting occasions, Instead it brings in a bus which cannot follow the tram route, but which must make its own course and be, of necessity, a pirate robbing the trams in Castle and George streets of legitimate fares. Will the bus service now operating Irom Lookout Point to Logan Park run in competition with the trams? In fact, to justify its existence it must do so. This rtiorning a bus was picking up passengers

in peorge street While a matter,of seconds behind it came a, tram. -> .The Jistrict i§,well served Castle street fine. If necessary, the time-table on this line could be' speeded up to make up for any minute deficiency caused by the deletion of the Logan Park line. In northern centres there are widelyscattered residential areas where would-be tram passengers have to walk a considerable distance before reaching a tram line. If these residents had to go a matter of two or three short blocks to a tram they would consider themselves fortunate. To justify the newly-operating bus service more logical reasons will need to be advanced than those already given. .