BUS, BOBBY, TRAM.

Railways, trams, buses, etc.
jma
Posts: 496
Joined: Fri 05 Aug, 2016 3:38 pm

Re: BUS, BOBBY, TRAM.

Post by jma »

This has reminded me of something that happened in and around Rounday Park on Children's Day 1975. That was when a growing number of people went by car, but LCT still laid on special buses.

There were bad traffic problems caused by drivers having to queue to pay for entry to car parks, with the tailbacks out onto the main roads, but that was nothing compared with what was to come when there was a really heavy hail storm. When it started I was watching the arena from Hill Sixty as the different groups of schoolchildren danced into the arena. I remember the music over the loudspeakers was "The Entertainer." With water pouring into the arena the children kept on dancing in until somebody took charge of the situation and announced something like "Get those children under shelter." From being warm sunshine one minute, the weather was really bad. Somebody died when they were struck by lightning. All the people who had queued to get in - some still queuing - wanted to get out. The roads were gridlocked but in those days plenty of people had come by bus and the special services intended to get them home had naturally been organised for much later in the day. LCT had a lot of flexibility and soon the bus inspectors had organised a change in plan. Unfortunately, the gridlock preventing drivers leaving hampered buses arriving. Police on foot tried to carve out a bus lane up the middle of Prince's Avenue. In the crowds queueing for a bus outside the park gates near where the OP's pictures were taken, somebody collapsed in the crush. The same crush stopped the ambulance getting to him and a stretcher was improvised from the long backseat of a bus to get him to the ambulance although the officers carrying him had to force a way way through because people were desperate to get to the buses.

(I didn't witness all of this: some comes from the accounts of others who were there with me.)

volvojack
Posts: 1471
Joined: Tue 26 Jan, 2016 11:57 am

Re: BUS, BOBBY, TRAM.

Post by volvojack »

Sad Story that jma.
As a School kid i had many happy days on that Special day. schools in Leeds would compete in all sorts of athletic events ( even three legged and sack racing) there would have been a Beauty Queen picked from one of the schools and she would be then taken by open carriage up to Roundhay and then crowned For anyone who never attended these events i would think it is difficult to imagine 100.000 people or more all in that one place.
Shame that it was diiscontinued in the end but i think there were more wet days than sunny dry days,

Happy Days.
Last edited by volvojack on Sun 19 Mar, 2017 4:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.

jma
Posts: 496
Joined: Fri 05 Aug, 2016 3:38 pm

Re: BUS, BOBBY, TRAM.

Post by jma »

Nothing to do with LCT but in 1978 when I was working at Chapeltown I was on duty at that year's Children's Day. It was the reference to the crowning of the schoolgirl queen that reminded me of this. That year's organiser managed to get the timings wrong so that events were falling behind. The most significant event of the afternoon was the arrival of HRH Princess Margaret and everything was timed around that. There is a little latitude in that the official motorcade can speed up or slowdown and even include a detour to waste a bit of time but there is a limit. I was relaying increasingly urgent requests from the organiser to the officer i/c the motorcade and eventually the message came back that the only way they could go slower would be by engaging reverse. The organiser even made the suggestion that HRH should park up somewhere till events were back on track. :roll: Anyway, the royal limo swept into view just as the coronation was taking place. All eyes on the real princess rather than the queen "for the day." Not as bad as being electrocuted by lightning but still a bit sad.

volvojack
Posts: 1471
Joined: Tue 26 Jan, 2016 11:57 am

Re: BUS, BOBBY, TRAM.

Post by volvojack »

Off the subject of Childrens Day but your mention of Harrogate Road Police Station reminds me of the many lovely pints of Tetley's beer i used to drink in The Regent just along from there I do recall that it was very popular with the local Bobby's and was also such a wonderful traditional Pub.

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