Contents Listing - Articles & Features in this issue
ENERGY CRISIS MOUNTAIN CLIMBING SANS RACK Part 7: Doing it our way FORSCHUNG UEBER ALLES REVIEWS LIGHT RAIL FOR TORINO MUSEUM NEWS WORLD NEWS LRTL OVERSEAS SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM THE SECRETARY DIARY On the cover - The simple but handsome lines of Diiwag's Stadtbahn-M and N cars have become familiar in West Germany. This metre-gauge version is a six-axle tram of the Bochum-GelsenkirchenerStrassenbahn AG, hence the prominent acronym BOGESTRA in the undertaking's logo. The car was photographed on the reversing stub at Buer-Rathaus on 22 April 1979.
Article Snippets
Energy crisis: WHAT should we in Britain be doing about the energy crisis, and why are we only talking about it and doing nothing positive? We all know the British attitude that if you pretend that something isn't there for long enough, it will go away and cease to trouble you. Motorists are paying 50% more for petrol (and in many cases charging it up to their employers, who pass it on in increased prices for goods and services) and show no sign of using smaller cars or using their cars less. Road transport interests continue to assume that goods cannot be sent in any other way and likewise put their prices up. Public transport also puts its prices up, but by a smaller rise than petrol, yet few additional passengers are seen, despite it being a better bargain, apart from on the railways. What is wrong? We think that public road passenger transport services in Britain are often uncomfortable, unreliable, unclean and inadequate. Buses often have damaged seats, graffiti on ceilings, walls and windows, and break down frequently. When they do run, they may be full because of missing buses. No wonder that they don't encourage travel. Electric traction should get rid of many faults; rail traction will get rid of others. Only good management can produce a really effective service. We think that the Tyne & Wear Metro should bring the change; our fear is that vested interests may not want to notice it.