TRAFFIC CONTROL

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 88, 14 April 1930, Page 13

TRAFFIC CONTROL

ANOTHER LIGHTS SYSTEM

NO GENERAL APPLICATION

Within a week or two the points constable at the Willis street-Lambton

quay corner will move away to other work, and traffic will be .controlled, as at Courtenay place, by an automatic light; signal system. There is no doubt of the full efficacy of this system at Courtenay place, from everyone's point of view, motorists, pedestrians, and traffic control people, for the definite halting of all traffic in one stream while right-angle traffic crosses has brought about an orderliness that .was only sometimes approached under manual control. As a rule, someone is ready to raise a protest about everything, but apparently no one has had much to say against the'lights system as so far tried out in Wellington. Quite apart from the likelihood of drivers misunderstanding signals given them by pointsmen (and frequently there is plenty of room for misunderstanding, notwithstanding "standardisation") there is always a real danger of the pointsmen misunderstanding the direction signs given by motorists, and 80 turning them into sudden and serious trouble. This is particularly so in the evening on intersections not too well lighted, which means most of them.' Neither the lights nor any other control system will deal with the driver who ignores signals, "but, fortunately, the proportion of such drivers is small, and a succession of stiff enough penalties would very materially tend to reduce that proportion. It is a sore point with traffic officials that the Bench has many times given a defendant the I'vight of his life in his preliminary re--marks and then ordered him to pay costs. ' . , • ' 'The "Willis street-Lanibton quay signalling system willbe operated very much as at Courtenay place, though the intervals between* one .colour and another may Toe different. The control box will also be capable.of hand operation to meet'unusual conditions'of traffic. MORE LIGHTS TO COME. Some time ago the City Council had several more points under consideration for automatic control, but apparently there is to bo no general application of the system at present, probably on account of the fairly considerable outlay upon- equipment, though there is no doubt of the economy of the lights in the long run, over and above their greater efficiency. There are half a dozen or more intersections where more effective control than can be given at present is required: —Taranaki . street'- Manners streot, Taranaki-street-Wakefield street, Manners street-Cuba street, Manners street-Willis street, the Queen's Wharf gates, the crossings of Taranaki and Tory streets with Vivian streets, and the very dangerous John street corner. There is not much doubt that all of these will bo light-equipped fairly soon. . .