TRAM LOSING HOLD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 16 April 1932, Page 4

TRAM LOSING HOLD

LONDON TRANSPORT FIGHT LONDON, 7th April. The drab Irani is slowly losing ground in London in its fi'glil with the vivid rind easily manoeuvred bus, hut a compromise in many places lias been tile substitution of silent trolley buses for the noisy rail vehicle. The London United Tramways, Ltd., has abandoned 17 miles of tramways in the west and south-west suburbs of London and replaced them with trolley buses, which run without rails and oil rubber tyres, and by means of extensible overhead trolley-poles obtain electric power from the overhead gear which formerly served tiie tramcar. The extensible trolley-pole gives them a horizontal radius of 15 feet from the overhead wire, so that the bus can pull in to the near side of the road for passengers, and generally manoeuvre like other vehicles. The trolley buses "resemble the latest type of London motor buses, hut are quieter. They arc also in use at Hastings. Southend-on-Sea. Bradford, and Ipswich among other places. They arc generally adopted in districts where narrow, tortuous streets make (rallicars obstructive to a smooth flow of traffic. The only serious criticism of them has been from wireless users. Something in Ihe mechanism interfered with wireless reception. A simple device, however, lias enabled the company to prevent that.

The cost of operating a car mile is about 15 per cent, less than the average cost of running the London tramcar. This is partly due to the heavy burden of road maintenance charges imposed upon tramways by tlie Government. The London United Co. inis already proved its capacity to earn more revenue than the tramway system it lias replaced. The trolley bus costs £2OOO as against £3OOO for a tramcar. The experience of English tramway concerns has been that it is well worth while, when the time came for road tracks to lie renewed off suitable routes, to make the change to a system of trolley buses.