• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Brum traffic images from 1960s onwards ?

Seeing Dave's picture of the buses reminds me of when I was a kid and living in Knowle Road, Sparkhill. For some reason - I never did find out why, but obviously for some event - 8 or 9 buses would periodically be parked just inside the Stratford Road end of Knowle Road on certain afternoons. Of course, us kids couldn't resist the urge to link the chain to the radiator of the bus behind, thus forming a long daisy chain in the hope that the first bus would tow those behind it. No chance, of course, and traffic staff were obviously well aware of this prank and were alert to similar antics! :) :)

Maurice
 
My recollections, of peak travel times in the early 1950's, was that the traffic build up was pretty grim. It probably just got more severe as more cars came on the roads. :eek:
 
Of interest Maurice were the buses facing the city direction or the outward way?
My initial thoughts would be towards the city to deal with the evening travel peak. If that is so it would seem sense sensible in order to avoid the main city streets getting congested. Regarding your chains: yes, I guess there would be an inspector close by to direct buses as the need required.
 
Alan,

The buses were pointed towards Stratford Road, (so must have entered from the Formans Road end), but could have turned either way. However my guess would have been that they would have turned out of town but merely gone around the College Arms roundabout & back into town. That would have allowed them to stop at the 37/46/1a stop at the bottom of Colgreave Avenue (where there was a Bundy clock) and thus feed any of those routes.

Maurice
 
Alan,

In the late 1950s, it used to take me 45 minutes at morning peak times to get from Howard Road, Kings Heath, into the city centre - I timed that many times - on with the 50 or 48/49 routes. I wonder how that compares with today. We were told that the Ringway would solve all the city's traffic problems, but no one at that time seemed to have allowed for the vast increase in traffic over the next few years.

I know that when I moved to Bournemouth in 1961, roundabouts were almost, but not quite, unheard of. Their popularity with the Council planners seemed to grow rapidly from then on, but I couldn't help but remark on several occasions that Birmingham could build a roundabout almost overnight whereas Bournemouth seemed to take forever with masses of traffic diversions.

Different story again here when I moved to Crete. Roundabouts are again in short supply, but where they do exist, no one seems to know the rules of the road and give way to those already on the roundabout. A few do, but perhaps they have lived in other places in Europe - the locals just make up the rules to suit themselves!

Maurice
 
Thanks Maurice for the further details. Stratford Road/Formans Road was a terrible bottleneck even in the early 50's. I can't remember whether it was the traffic lights that slowed things up or whether it was when a policeman that was controlling the traffic. One version was far better than the other if I remember correctly. ;)
Younger members here probably do not remember police controlling many busy junctions but many pictures posted here do just show that happening.
 
Indeed, Alan, when the police were on duty we always used to think they gave preference to traffic from the wrong direction, but to be honest I don't think they had any more chance than the traffic lights - the traffic just overwhelmed the junctions. It's a pleasure to now live on an island where there is very little traffic compared with the UK. However, four years ago they spend four & a half million euros putting in an underpass system to replace a light controlled crossing on the outskirts of Aghios Nikolaos, but at the time I thought "you just don't know what heavy traffic is!" and I stand by that comment. :)

Maurice
 
Strange how the pictures on this site don't equate to the memories I have of the fun times spent in the traffic of Brum.
 
paul stacey said:
That is one of the abiding memory's of Birmingham from my childhood, bus's and rain. Paul
Click to expand...
Well. I certainly remember the buses, both BCT and BMMO ones, (and more traffic besides) but whilst snow was a regular occurrence each winter - very rare here by the way - I seem to remember the long hot summers of childhood rather than rain. ;)
 
paul stacey said:
The summers in Brum in the late 40's and fifties were always hot and sunny, and the winters cold with snow.Paul
Click to expand...
Now that sounds like wishful thinking, before we moved to Cornwall my Sister in Law told us that the sun always shined in Cornwall, if that were the case why have I got webbed feet :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top