§ Mr. CROOKSasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the crowding and crushing that takes place in boarding cars and omnibuses at certain busy points; and that women, children, and cripples are in danger of life and limb and have great difficulty in boarding the vehicles; and whether, in order to avoid this congestion and danger, steps will be taken for adopting the queue system at busy spots?
§ Mr. SHORTTI am well aware of the crowding caused by the limited accommodation now available in cars and omnibuses. The police have given much attention to the question of queues, and they are on trial as an experiment at certain places. Unfortunately, there are many busy places where it is not possible to arrange them owing to the number of queues required, and the limited space. Further, the police have no power to prevent a bus from stopping before it reaches a queue. Another serious difficulty is that at many of the busiest points there are a number of routes which for a certain distance cover the same ground and are, therefore, all equally suitable for short-distance travellers. Experience shows that such travellers will not wait in one queue for a particular bus, but insist on trying to force a way into any 'bus which passes his destination. The police have no compulsory powers.