When the black fever cart passed through the town, mothers urged their children to run and hide - in case they contracted some infectious disease. Fortunately this did not happen too often, and the everyday load of traffic was a major problem, particularly in the town centre. In February the Council was disappointed to learn that the Committee of the County Council has considered the request for a 20 mph speed limit in the High Street but were unable to give their support to the application. The speed limit of 30 mph was not always observed, and when giving evidence in Court P.C. J. D. Lord said he was on radio car patrol on October 19th at 4 am when a motor cycle drove by from the direction of Aylesbury. At Tring cross roads P.C. Eslpin signalled him to stop but he did not do so. He was chased by the car in the direction of Berkhamsted at 60 mph, but owing to the misty weather and winding nature of the road they were unable to overtake. At Hall Park, Berkhamsted, the bike crashed, and later Geoffrey Adamson Curry, of Redcar, Yorks, paid two fines of £2 for exceeding the speed limit, and £10 for displaying false number plates.
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1934 HUMBER 16, very smart; any trial; splendid condition throughout; taxed; licensed; drive away. Quick sale, what offers? – Phone Tring 2371 Gazette, 2nd May |
At the December Council meeting Councillor P. C. Fells requested early morning lights. He said that they should be on from 5.45 am as there were quite a lot of people about at that time. Reference was also made at the meeting to the gaps between lights. Councillor Porter said they were very dangerous and he had a friend who walked into a cow one evening. This aroused mention of the old gas standards but it was stated that these were retained in case of need, e.g. should electricity become too dear. When the year closed the Council was planning a one way system involving Henry Street and Chapel Street.
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MORE AYLESBURY AND TRING BUSES Among the important London Transport developments announced … was an indication that the Country bus routes servicing Aylesbury and Tring would be strengthened in order to carry the many additional people "who will swarm into the country at fine weekends." Gazette, 25th April |
While there may have been many cars and lorries passing through the town, there were not enough buses, and the Council was unsuccessful in getting the London Passenger Transport Board to extend the route of the 301c, which ran from Hemel Hempstead to the Cow Roast, so that it terminated at Tring. On the 2nd December the Council noted that there was no ’bus from New Mill to Tring between 7.15 am and 9.15 am and between 6.25 pm and 8.25 pm. Also that the services to the villages of Long Marston, Wilstone, etc., only operated on 3 days a week and that the buses were badly overcrowded. The Council’s concern seems to have worked, as on the 8th December a new service was introduced leaving Pitstone at 8.10 am, passing through New Mill at 8.16 am, and continuing through Tring to Aylesbury.
There were also problems with the trains. In January the L.M.S. (London Midland and Scotland Railway) said they could not introduce an early forenoon train from Tring to London because of difficulties with obtaining staff, coal, etc.. The Council were also told that there were 40 season ticket holders who would benefit if the 6.07 pm trains stopped at Tring, as at present they leave their offices at 5.30 pm and do not get home until 8.00 pm. When they first asked the L.M.S. about this, the reply was unsatisfactory. However, after they appealed to the Ministry of Transport, they were told of possible changes in the times of the trains. It may well be as a result of such changes that in December the Council noted that the bus from Tring Station to the town left at 2.50 pm, while the 1.55 pm from Euston arrived at 2.53 pm!
If there were no buses, one could always walk along one of the many footpaths that crossed what is now Tring Rural. Or could you??? In September the Clerk of Tring Council submitted a letter which he had received from the Berkhamsted Citizens Association enclosing a map showing footpaths at Wigginton which had been ploughed, blocked or otherwise lost, and asking for help of the Council in seeing that the footpaths are re-established. The Council agreed to refer the matter to their Highways Committee.
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Bucks Herald, 10th January |
