Doncaster Races

Traffic by Road And Rail

(“Yorkshire Telegraph and Star” Special.)

From to-day until the end of the week, in spite of the rapid spread of motor travel, the horse comes into his own again. Not only does the racehorse form the attraction for tens of thousands at Doncaster’s well appointed racecourse, but his humbler brethren between the shafts have almost monopoly of the road between Sheffield and the old market town. The horse provides the means of locomotion for a great number of that true middle-class which lies between the day labourer and the professional man. During a walk round by Star representative this morning, an unwonted quietness for Doncaster race day was noticed between the hours of nine and ten, when there is usually a big exodus from the centre of the city. There appeared to be considerably fewer waggonettes and turnouts of various descriptions, and those that were standing for hire in Fitzalan Square were none too well patronised.

Inquiries at Messrs. Dean and Dawson’s offices showed there was a material decrease in the number of excursionists. Up to eleven o’clock there had been about 500 bookings to Doncaster, a fair number, but not equal to last year, and about 250 below the average. The pavement is up the corner by the offices, so that coaches could not be run from there, and under ordinary conditions there would be considerable inconvenience in the blocking traffic in King Street.

In Fitzalan Square two motor char-a-bancs were waiting for passengers, and there were fair number of waggonettes. One of these latter evidently had optimistic proprietor, for it was named “Succeeded,” but it moved out of the square with about half its complement of passengers.

Many people with plenty of time, and desirous of during the journey a little more cheaply, took a tram right through to Mexbro’, from which place numbers walked to Doncaster or joined trains at Conisbro’.

Taking the state of trade into consideration, there should not be any grumbling on the part of those who profit by the people’s desire to see the races. If there are less on the road, the railway companies will not have done so badly as conditions seemed to indicate.