THE TRAMWAY REGULATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 176, 26 July 1911, Page 2

THE TRAMWAY REGULATIONS.

CONSIDERED BY EXPERTS. SOME SUGGESTED ALTERATIONS The tramways conference at Wellington, including delegates from' local authorities and from private companies controlling tramway systems, appointed a sub-committee of experts,. comprising tramway engineers an-d managers, to go fully into t'lie regulations drafted by the Minister, and in the report they have prepared suggest a number of alterations to the Departmental proposals. The important alteration in regard to the power given to the Minister to cancel the license of a vehicle is the suggested deletion of the following clauße;—lf. at any time a carriage which is licensed meets with serious injury by fire or other accident so a3 to make it unsafe for public traffic, the licensee shall thereupon .be. deemed to be suspended until such time as the inspector certit fies that the carriage is again safe and fit for public traffic. In regard to the conditions under which the tramway authorities are entitled to carry passengers. Subclause 1 (a) which in the Government draft provides that a number of passengers may be carried, for which, in the opinion of the inspector, reasonable seating accommodation is provided has been amended by the deletion, of the reference to the inspector. Subclause (b) of clause 18 in the Government draft regulations makes provision for the carriage of passengers for whom, in the opinion of the inspector, and subject to regulations 16 and 18, there is sufficient standing accommodation not exceeding 75 per cent of the ■passengers for whom seating accommodation is provided. For this the conference has substituted an additional number for which and subject to the provisions of-clau-se 18 of the regulations as amended, there is -sufficißut standing accommodation not exceeding 75 per centum' of the number of passeng'-rs for which seats are provided. The experts advised in reference to top deckers thfit licenses shall not authorise: the carriage of passengers other than for whom seating accommodation is provided, nor on any step, stair or platform, nor in any case shall authority be given for standing passengers unless they can be carried without tinluly inconveniencing other passengers, or without impeding the driver or conductor in their duties. In placo of 1C inches of s"-Hng space for each passenger proviriVrl by the department the experts recommend 14 inches as sufficient. Provision is made that children up to 12 years shall travel at half fare. In AwkTarJl Hie concession is allowed to children under 12.

' The bis* question of overcrowding is dealt with in the original regulations in the following terras:—The manager and promoters shall take such steps as may be necessary to prevent the carriage of passengers on any carriage beyond the number which it is licensed to carry, and for that purpose they shall at termini or other places where large numbers of passengers congregate station a responsible officer to keep order and to arrange as far as possible that passengers desiring to .ride in any carriage shall be accommodated in the order of priority in -which they nave arrived at such terminus or place. The report of the experts recommends the retention only of the first portion ot the clause, the full text being left, as follows—"The managers and promoters shall take such steps as may be necessary to prevent the carriage of passengers on any carriage beyond the number which it is liennsed to carry." In the original regulations a clause makes provision for the Minister in cases where the grade is steeper than 1 in 11 or where in his opinion the brake power is insufficient refusing to grant a license for the carriage of any standing passengers or may reduce the number for which a license is granted to surch number as lie thinks fit. The lunendment is to the effect that the "Minister may do the foregoing where the grade is steeper than 1 fit 7.

The clause providing inter alia, "If the step oi 1 any carriage is not placed within 14 inches of the ground the promoters shall provide and maintain on the carriage a movable step which the conductor shall, on request by any passenger, use in assisting tliat passenger ti enter or aliffht," has been amended to' read: "Shall have steps fitted in such a position that passengers can safely enter or alight from the carriage." The sub-clause making provision for a compartment to be reserved at ea<?h end of the carriages for the sole use of the mo'tonnen and conductors is deleted.