SERVICES DISCOMFITED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 86, 3 July 1945, Page 5

SERVICES DISCOMFITED

STATION ROAD CLOSED DIVERSION VIA PA ROUTE T Road Services passengers who were unfortunate enough to be forced to travel at the end of last week via Station Road 1 have a sad chapter in their experiences to relate. Doubtless they will relate it as they gently rub their bruises received through unwanted but forcible contact with the Solid parts of the bus's interior. Apparently Station: Road which has been the subject of much blasphemy particularly by drivers of , vehicles forced to use it, up till the time it was closed on Saturday de- ■ fieriitcly was 'no picnic,' Reports state 1 that the stretch between Ernest's Corner and Berg's Bridge in parti-1 cular was very bad to drive over as the surface consisted mainly of clay, mud and. large lumps of uncrushed metal. Although the road was in a bad -condition previously the rain encountered during the ' three or lour days: at the end of last week apparently serious aggravated matters. On Saturday morning, three Road Services buses set out for the Whakatane West Station on the usual run to connect with the train. The first bus was proceeding along the bad stretch when it suddenly struck a sticky patch and became bogged. The second one followed suit behind it ? but the third escaped by the simple expedient of not attempting to navigate the quagmire. Instead it was attached to the second of the bogged vehicles and by towing, , managed to extricate it. The pas- ] senger.s then disembarked from the first one, transferred to the other j two, and were delivered via the Pa ( road. The ]train was unavoidably held up for half an hour. Other buses using the same stretch j of road prior to Saturday, although t they made their way through safe- A ly, found it rough going, and pas- t sengers were bounced about to a large exteiat ? despite the skilful driv- t ing of the men at. the wheel. Service buses however were not . » '» t the only vehicles to sample the sur,- i.

face oi' Station Road. Private cars and trucks also found • the going hazardous and more than one driver was forced to dig himself out. The regular scrvice t which , runs to connect with the Tancatua express is required while Station Road is to use the Pa road } and consequently any persons who would normally join the car at Ernest's corner must now go to the corner ol' the Pa road at Poroporo.