October 2011 - Royal Automobile Club

What, No PelicaN?
I and several fellow members
who I have talked to have had
considerable difficulty crossing
Pall Mall in front of the club due
to the fast moving traffic.
Fortunately I can still move
reasonably fast but I dread to
think what it must be like for
some of our older members. The
traffic including many buses now
charges down Pall Mall towards
St James’s. Until Pall Mall was
recently made into a two-way
system we had a very convenient
pedestrian crossing, which
incidentally my late father
( joined 1924) claimed to have
instigated with the then Minister
of Transport. This seems to have
disappeared post the works. Has
there been any consultation
between the club and the City of
Westminster roads department
Club Letters
regarding the reinstatement of
the crossing?
Robert Cosby
DReSSeD FoR SUcceSS?
I believe that this is the time of
year when the House Committee
reviews the dress code. Can I
implore you to consider a
relaxation? This could consist of
one of the following or a
combination of any of the ideas.
a) A ‘smart casual’ policy after
6.00pm each evening, b)
Brooklands and the Cocktail Bar
to be ‘smart casual’ at all times, c)
A ‘smart casual’ policy on club
nights - Tuesdays, d) A ‘smart
casual’ policy in the business
room and the library. I do not
want to rehearse all the
arguments in favour of a
relaxation policy. Suffice to say I
find it really strange that when we
socialise in the evenings, we
dress appropriately and normally
dispense with our formal
businesswear. Yet in our own
club we still are expected to dress
in what is often uncomfortable
clothing. In dining and at
business, the first thing most men
do is remove our jacket and tie.
So why can’t we do the same in
our club? I am not suggesting a
major overhaul, just a step by step
approach, to relax our policy.
Peter Hartley
October 2011 | Issue 136 | 13