Thus far and no further
The last passengers alight from Leicester City Transport 66 (CJF66C), a Leyland PD3A/1 with handsome East Lancashire bodywork at the Narborough Road terminus of the 52 route. This stop marks the city boundary and the limit of LCT operations. The bus will then turn around and head back into the city.
I deliberately included the Esso sign and the posted petrol prices, believing that this would become of historical interest over time. Those prices BTW are in pence per gallon, not litre. Who wouldn’t wish to pay that kind of price today? But that was a hefty price to pay back then, and inflation was rampant at the time.
I had bought my first car in Summer 1973, reckoning that I could afford running it at the then-prevailing average 30p/gallon. Then weeks later along came the Yom Kippur War, followed by OPEC’s retaliatory squeeze on oil prices. All that hurt enough, but Dennis Healey raising Fuel Tax in March 1974 was the cherry on the cake - I would have to pay around 50p/gallon. That put car ownership beyond my budget, and before too long I was back on the bus.
Google Maps shows that you can still buy petrol at this location - it’s a Tesco petrol station these days.
April 1978
Zorki 4 camera
Agfa CT18 film.
Thus far and no further
The last passengers alight from Leicester City Transport 66 (CJF66C), a Leyland PD3A/1 with handsome East Lancashire bodywork at the Narborough Road terminus of the 52 route. This stop marks the city boundary and the limit of LCT operations. The bus will then turn around and head back into the city.
I deliberately included the Esso sign and the posted petrol prices, believing that this would become of historical interest over time. Those prices BTW are in pence per gallon, not litre. Who wouldn’t wish to pay that kind of price today? But that was a hefty price to pay back then, and inflation was rampant at the time.
I had bought my first car in Summer 1973, reckoning that I could afford running it at the then-prevailing average 30p/gallon. Then weeks later along came the Yom Kippur War, followed by OPEC’s retaliatory squeeze on oil prices. All that hurt enough, but Dennis Healey raising Fuel Tax in March 1974 was the cherry on the cake - I would have to pay around 50p/gallon. That put car ownership beyond my budget, and before too long I was back on the bus.
Google Maps shows that you can still buy petrol at this location - it’s a Tesco petrol station these days.
April 1978
Zorki 4 camera
Agfa CT18 film.