TRAMS IN QUEEN STREET.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 35, 9 February 1917, Page 6

TRAMS IN QUEEN STREET.

SPEED LIMIT OF NINE MILE-BY-LAW ATTACKED AS OBSOLETE. THE TROUBLES OF TRAM DRIVING. The speed of tramcars in Queen Street formed the subject of an interesting argument in the Police Court to-day, when a tram driver named Walter Beck was charged, under the City by-laws, that he drove a tram-car in Queen Street at-more than nine miles an hour. WHY THE CASE WAS BROUGHT. Evidence was. given by Sergt., Matthew that at about five minutes to eight o'clock on the evening of January 6, a Saturday, he saw two linked cars driven up Queen Street, past Shortland Street, at a terrific paice, which he estimated at nearly 30 miles an hour. The was so great that he could not catch the number -on the car, he saw the car waa marked "Special." He made inquiries later' among'- the cars side;, tracked in Lower Symonds Street to await the accelerated service after nine o'clock, and caw defendant,. who admitted that he drove the car in question, and said there was no special reason why he should drive fast. Defendant also said he did not know there was any speed limit in Queen Street. Witness considered the pace dangerous to the public, especially on a night like Saturday night. -To M. Beed, K.C. (for defendant): He just estimated the speed at about 30 miles an hour. ' ' A constable. corroborated the sergeant's statement, and estimated the pace of the car at over 25 miles an hour -. ... ... TRAM COMPANY'S VIEWPOINT. Mr. Reed stated that it was. admitted that -the car went at a greater speed' than nine miles, but denied that: the pace was a dangerous one, or anything like 30-miles per hour. He appeared.by instruction of the Tramway Company because it was a very serious- matter for the company, should the by-law be held to be reasonable.' It was an. obsolete bylaw, passed .in 1907, and there had never been any attempt to enforce it.: The trams had never travelled at a speed less than nine miles an hour, and nearly alVays above that speed. As,a.matter.of ■•fact, the Government had since 1907 ; taken the power to fix speed regulations, land had not yet given effect to it. The J trams were run on two fixed speeds, 12 ; miles and 19 miles, and in order to bring j down the average speed at nine miles an j hour with the present year, the drivers ! would have to alternately put on the j power, and then coast", with the car so that the.progress of the,car-would be a'series of jerks. The only other •waywould be for the company to take the present gearinglout of all the cars and put in a new gearing, which could riot be done readily at the present time. Again, if that costlj-,-reconstruction -were made, the carrying Capacity 'of-'-' the present . number of-cars would, be reduced seriously, as all the services would have to be Very greatly slowed down, and the effect would be that the present cars would not be sufficient to carry the_traffic at the rush hours. • : The' company found it difficult to.keep a staff forthe present number of cars, and it would be impossible at the present time to get either more cars or. a larger staff. Counsel pointed out • that^in other centres in New Zealand the' recognised'"average speed-of. trams was 15 to IS miles, ah hour, and contended that nine miles ah hour -was: an unreasonable limit. ? Respecting the evidence that the cars in this case traveUed at 30 miles an hour, he stated that a trial of these cars haeA ■l*-een made,\ when it had been demonstrated that the greatest speed that could be got from the cars on the slight up-grade in Queen's. Street was 10 miles an hour. . »•-.'.■ .' „ S ! ni^ r Serge™* Rutledge 'remarked that the charge was brought, not because the 'speed exceeded nine miles hour, but because the speed in this instance was dangerous to the public, and it was found that action could only be taken through the by-law limiting the speed to nine miles. -'-:-' THE USUAL SPEED. -[■ .i 'J. J. Walklate, general, manager of! the company,: stated that all the cars ! had two running speeds—series and parallels. In order to make. a speed different from those to which the cars were geared, the drivers would have to start up to the nearest-regulation speed, take off the power when the byslaw limit was reached, and let the car coast, then put on the power again to keep' the car running. The effect would be to keep the car running in a series of jerks. The present speeds of the cars on the level were 12 miles an hour on the series, arid 19 miles an'hour on the parallels, or full power. Of course, on ti down grade the cars would go faster. If the by-law of nine miles an hour were enforced, there would be a deadlock, as the present cars could not run >to 'that* speed, except in a scries of jerks, and the company could not, owing to its .agreement, take its cars out of Queen Street. This was the first prosecution -under the' by-law. A test of the two cars . con-, cerned made after January 9 showed that the cars could not attain, on full power.a higher speed than 10. miles an hour up Queen Street. It was customary for the cars to travel up Queen Street on the parallels, or just on the maximum speed. The cars would at I certain points attain a speed of about 18 miles an hour, but, owing "tV the number of stops, the average speed would be less. To Senior-sergeant Rutledge: He did not think the' maximum speed on the car lines in Queen Street would Abe dangerous on a Saturday night about 8 o'clock. y ' ■ '_. DECISION RESERVED. Mr. F. V. Frascr, S.M., said that offhand one would be inclined to say that nine miles per hour would **•» an unreasonable speed-limit to make for electric trams, but he wanted to consider the legal position before coming to a definite decision. Decision would be reserved. -' ' * -