Minutes 02/28/1922 - Laserfiche WebLink

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R. C. P. February 28, i922 No. of-Cars Sea ting Capacity Navy Yard ........................ 23 West Haven ....................... Cradock .......................... 6 Park View ........................ Prentis P~rk ..................... Port Norfolk ..................... 11 ll5 3o 73 176 Total, 64 576 It is found from observation that the number of seats provided is sufficient for the traffic and that a good service could be' given provided the cars were the proper size, kept in a proper state of repmir and properly regulated. It has been found necessary in many Cities to increase the minimum size of cars permitted, and observation in Portsmouth indicates tha~ no bus se~ting less than nine should be permitted to operate as a jitney. On this basis, the following number of busses, with the seating capacity indicated, would be ample ~o handle the entire transportation business in Portsmouth: No. of Cars Seating Cap~city Navy Yard ........................ 10 West Haven ....................... ~ Cradock ........................... o Park View ........................ 15 Prentis P~rk ..................... Port Norfolk ..................... 12 9O 30 Total, 50 573 With this arrangement, the number of seats remains 'approximately the s~me, with a ¢l~crease of fourteen in the nuSber of vehicles. This would u~Slize ali serviceable busses now employed as jitneys but would eliminate alt cars seating less than nine people. The busses at present in use have a seating capacity of from nine to sixteen. To preve~ ~h~ injustice being done the small operator, however, it is believed that he should be given a year from ~ay let, 1922, to get rid of his small bus. LACK OF CONTROL Lack of control of jitneys is evidenced by failure of operators to check in, irre- guls~vities in hours, leaving routes without authority, iXlegal use of cars for hacking pttr- poses. All of these abmses are directly due ~o lack of adequate supervision and machinery to enforce the laws now in effect covering these points. To remedy this, it is believed thmt at least three officers should be employed in the Traffic Department, one-in a general supervisory and inspecting cap~city and one on duty in the vicinity of the ferry from 8:00 A. M. to 4:00 P. M. and from 4.00 P. M. to midnight. The traffic officer in charge should be known as Traffic Director ~ud should have power to condemn busses and order repai, s where necessary, to control schedules a~d in emergencies, to transfer busses from one route to anot- her. In addition, ~I1 other police officers should be instructed to observe jitneys on their routes a~d to robert all infringements'of ordinances. Owing to the fact, that this a~rrangement will inVolVe an additional financial burden to the City,it is recommended that the license fee for jitney busses be increased to $15.00 per seaz per annum. DELAPIDATED CONDITION OF JITNEYS Most of Tthe present busses are conver~ed delivery trucks or touring cars and many of them in very bad repair. Modifications of ordinances are necessary, requiring bodies with glass windows, proper light, proper seazs, pneumatic tires and heat in inclement' weather. IRREGULAR SCHEDULES The greatest difficulty under th$ present' law, which provides for two nine-hou~ shifts, optional with the jitney operator lies in the fact that no definite number of busses is available for service either for the morning or evening shift. Chauffeurs who attempt to cover two shifts, a total of eighteen hours are so exhausted that they usuall~ fail to report for She next morning s~ift. The existing law also permits drivers to suspend operation for one shift or any number of shifts thereby depriving the public of service during inclement weather, at ~he pleasure of' .Zhe driver or operator. The present law does not provide for schedules, the lack of which nec9ssarily works a hardship on the Traffic officer in relieving congestion at the ferry and at t~mes renders the condition as to congestion and confusion at the east end of High St. almost intolerable. To remedy these defioiene¼es, the ordinances should be ~O.dified so as to require all busses to report every d~y at 6.00 A. M. and remain on duty the full eighteen hours. No one chauffeur should be allowed to operate a bus longer than. ten hours during any one d~y. The oars should be operate~ on a regular schedule as fol lOWS: Port Norfolk ........ OradocE ............. Prentis Park ........ West H~ven .......... Navy Yard ........... Park View ........... ................ 6 minutes ............... 1~ " ............... 12 " ............... 30 " sary, Iit is possible to accomplish this with the number of busses recommended. these schedules o~n be shortened at rush hours by the order of the Traffic Director, Operators should be required t~ regulate the speed of their machines so as to con- form to these schedules without necessitatmng~ a lay-over at the east end of High St. If neces- ~S