SPEED RESTRICTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 4, 6 January 1937, Page 10

SPEED RESTRICTIONS.

CONFLICTING ROAD SIGNS. CONFUSION OF MOTORISTS. As many old speed restriction signs are still displayed over the Auckland Province, which is now posted with the 30 miles an hour or speed restriction" signs erected by the. Automobile Asso-. ciation (Auckland) by arrangement with the Government, in accordance with the new transport regulations, confusion exists among number of motorists. An anomaly on the Great South Road is that one post bears a local body speed restriction- sign and also the "no speed restriction" sign under the regulations. The position is that the local body restrictions are superseded by the regulations issued in December and on areas indicated by the 30 miles signs motorists may drive at that speed, provided it is consistent with safety to traffic. The touring manager of ttye association, Mr. R. E. Champtaloup, explained that local bodies had had little time to remove the obsolete signs and no doubt before long these would all disappear. Delay in the issue of the Gazette notice defining areas under the regulations had resulted from the difficulty in obtaining the necessary information relating to roads. Some local bodies had not replied to the Government's request, for information, the names of some roads had been altered, and in some cases local authorities were not very clear regarding boundaries. The areas were defined by Gazette notice on December 20 and the association had three days to erect 1000 signs before the holidays. Many of the temporary positions for the signs were later found unsatisfactory and a large number of signs near the city had been transferred to special painted posts which contained silver reflecting rings. As & result there had been a decided improvement, especially at night. Mr. Champtaloup said the position of every sign would also be reviewed and observation experiments made by day and night before the position was finally determined. The association would also confer with local bodies before making representations to the Government to de-restrict further portions of roads in rural districts where there was no danger from the population aspect from the 30 miles an hoi^maximum.