THE MOTOR-'BUS. T HE London public has woke up and found
itself miserable. Not much more than a year ago it was congratulating itself on the speedy advent of the motor- omnibus. The future of London locomotion seemed to wear the brightest colours. Noise and dirt were to vanish with the disappearance of the horse as a business animal. No longer was the heart of the humane passenger to be troubled by the thought that he must not impose an additional stoppage upon already overburdened animals, or his eyes to be pained by the sight of a fallen horse who had found the pavement too slippery for him to keep his footing. Londoners were to fly about on their several errands in vehicles that made no sound, that left no smell, that were perfectly under control, and stopped at every indication whether of obstacles in the path or of a passenger's wish. This was the vision ; what has been the realisation? For the sound of hoofs and the rattle of wheels we have the roar of machinery and the crash of metal. For the expected safety we have unforeseen dangers. The motor, when properly constructed and under proper control, is beyond impeachment on this ground. But the motor-omnibuses seldom conform to either of these re- quirements. An expert writing in the Westminster Gazette tells us that "four-fifths of the motor-omnibus chassis now on the streets will be thrown on the scrap-heap in a couple of years." This is an encouraging prediction ; but we do not feel quite certain that the chassis which has met this fate will necessarily be replaced by any- thing better. If omnibus proprietors are left to themselves, they will naturally look to their balance- sheets, and the best article in the market is, un- fortunately, not always the cheapest, even in the end. Until it is the cheapest it will not be the most profitable. " The noise and rattle," according to the same authority, "is bound to disappear with the advent of more solid and properly constructed engines and gear." That is good news ; but here again can we, as matters stand, count on this advent? Solid construction means costly construction, and, even if we assume that the richer companies will take some thought for the public comfort, new rivals will always be coming into the field, though they may not long remain in it, and they may still be of opinion that for their tern porarv purpose cheap machinery is the best. What the public think of the noise which the motor-omnibuses make is shown by the effect it has had upon the value of house property along their routes. The decline has been general, and in many cases it has been extraordinarily great. It is not merely 'that houses fetch less money when they come into the market. They have become practically unsale, able. The process has been impartial in its operation. It equally affects small houses in South Kensington and large ones in Portman Square or Grosvenor Place. Wherever the motor-omnibus comes the resident dis- appears if be can afford to leave his house unoccupied, or else lives on in it in the hope that the tyranny may some day be overpast. But Londoners suffer in person as well as in pocket. Accidents are constantly happening owing to the carelessness or ignorance of the drivers, or the inefficiency of the machinery they have to handle. The first of these defects is a cause of noise as well as of accidents. Where there is proper change-speed gear there is no reason why a motor-omnibus should make more noise when it is slowing down than when it is going at full speed. But the best possible gear will be noisy in the hands of an incompetent driver, and in the recent rush of competition in the new industry the omnibus companies have taken any and every driver they could lay their hands on. In- competence in the driver makes every kind of accident possible ; but even where a driver thoroughly knows his business both he and the omnibus are at the mercy of bad machinery. One writer in the Engineering Supplement of Wednesday's Times says that the brakes at present in use are quite inadequate to the strain to which they are often subjected, and another doubts whether any brake at present invented could make double-deck omnibuses safe. They have the merit of enabling their owners to earn more money, but that is their solitary recommendation.
There is a curious contrast between the treatment of railways and of motors by the State. Railways, owing to the operation of the law relating to compulsory purchase, have given occasion to a long series of statutes. Every act of a railway company has been the subject of legisla- tion, and is fenced round by an array of prohibitions. Yet railways, except in the case of a level crossing, only concern their own passengers. Motor-'buses, on the other hand, working as they do on ordinary roads and in crowded streets, concern every one, and we might naturally have expected to see Parliament showing a corresponding amount of interest in their proceedings. It would have been quite possible, had the attempt been made in time, to prevent the greater part of the annoyances under which the public now suffers. Now that prevention is out of the question, we can but do something in the way of cure. The work will be more difficult because we have to interfere with interests that have been allowed to grow up without regulation. But where the safety alike of the traveller and of the passer-by, and the value and profitable use of property, are concerned, it is worth making some effort to undo the consequences of our past negligence. The ease is not one that allows of simple prohibition. The motor- omnibus has, or may be made to have, characteristics which will render it a valuable element in London locomotion. The advantages which were formerly attributed to it are not wholly imaginary. It is in our power to create them if we have the necessary courage and are willing to take the necessary trouble.
The difficulty that has first to be overcome is the familiar one of divided authority. The Chief Commissioner of Police has pointed out this in the letters he has addressed to Sir Theodore Martin and to the town clerk of Kensington. He has no special power of control over motor vehicles, but only over such as are used as public carriages. Over traction-engines, the use of which has greatly increased of late, he exercises no power what- ever. All that he can do as regards either them or motors generally is to enforce the regulations made in the one case by the London County Council, in the other by the Local Government Board. In the matter of routes taken he is under a special disability. "The Streets Act of 1867 expressly lays down that the Com- missioner of Police may not limit the number of stage carriages passing down any street ; in other words, stage carriages are at liberty to proceed in any number along any route they may select." The only power that the Commissioner possesses under the present law is that of dealing with "such public vehicles as offend in respect of excessive noise, or the undue emission of noxious fumes." Hitherto Sir Edward Henry has been mainly anxious to exercise this power "in such a way as to avoid crippling this new and important industry," and in this respect he may claim to have achieved complete success. The motor-'bus has been allowed to make as much noise and to emit as bad a smell as parsi- mony in construction and incompetence or indifference in driving render possible. At length, however, the Com- missioner's patience shows signs of exhaustion. He has lately drawn up a code of regulations which he hopes will abate the nuisance to the extent which his powers permit. These regulations will be made public as soon as the Select Committee which is at present inquiring into the administration of public carriages has presented its Report. It is obvious, however, that they will cover only a part of the ground. What is really wanted is a new Act of Parliament vesting the powers at present distributed over three authorities—the Local Government Board, the County Council, and the Chief Commissioner—in a single authority, and strengthening these powers where necessary. The authority in which this concentration can best be made is probably the Chief Commissioner of Police. It should rest with him to license all motor-omnibuses and traction- engines ; to require of them that they shall have used the best available means whether for lessening noise, vibration, and smell or for preventing accidents ; to license, and satisfy himself as to the competence of, their drivers ; to regulate their speed, and to fix the routes along which they shall pass. These powers must necessarily be wide, because no one can doubt that motor traction has a great future before it, or that any regulations made must from time to time be varied so as r'to meet the changing conditions of the industry. Placed under proper control, and compelled to consult the public advantage as well as their own immediate gain, the motor-omnibus companies may be of immense service to London ; but anything they may do in this way will be forgotten if they are allowed, as they are now, to work their will in making London uninhabitable. To be a nuisance to every one whose path you cross is a power which seldom benefits its possessor for long, and the legislation which it ultimately calls forth is often all the harsher for having been delayed. Even with the little time that the Government seem to have left for necessary business, it ought to be possible to pass such an Act as we have suggested during the present Session. London Members, at all events, would gladly make a House for this purpose even on a Saturday in July. We will end with one practical suggestion. Would it not be possible to use in London the steam motor-omni- buses which we understand are now being used in some parts of the country ? These steam 'buses (petroleum, not coal, is used to generate the steam) have no gears to grind out their harsh lament, and are, in fact, almost noiseless. If they could be used instead of 'buses fitted with the explosive type of engine, the noise of London, instead of being increased, would be very greatly decreased through horseless transport.
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