"SAFETY AVENUES."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 31, 6 February 1937, Page 22

"SAFETY AVENUES."

CHECKING OF CARS. SYSTEM IN UNITED STATES. LOCAL ADOPTION PROBABLE. The "safety avenue" system of checking motor vehicles for mechanical fitness may he introduced into Auckland, if liie recommendations of the legal and by-laws, committee of the City Council are adopted. The "safety avenue" is a long lane lilted with pits and special instruments, and cars as they pass along the avenue arc tested, automatically'and by inspector's, for brake oiiiele'ncy. alignment of headlights, steering reliability' and so on. The system, which is widely used in the rniicd States, enables 'a vehicle to he toted in about live minutes. The iieu- motor regulations provide that as from March :SI every driver shall carry a wanant of iiie.-hani.al HI ness, the wnrrant to !«• issued by a city authority or person or firm appointed or approve,! by the Minister of Transport. The legal and bylaws committee of the City Council has prepared a comprehensive report on the i|uestiott of inspection of vehicles in Auckland for submission to the council, and it is understood thai the "safety Herniations. The committee ha.s also recommended to the property co litte? that a section in the heart of tile city be considered as ii suitable site for the erection of a testing ana. 'I his would indicate that the '■safety avenue" ■system has been .elected by the by-h'.w, committee a* the most eilieient method of testing vehicles.

How System Works. The introduction of such n method would mean the importation of special and costly mechanical device,; for installation in" the •■avenues." and it would probablv be a year or two before the area could be "equipped. Under the American system the cars an- driven aloii" the luiirs and the eflieicm-y of the brakes is recorded on instl iinient■« ill the pits. The alignment of headlights is checked automatically, while expert inspectors quickly test the condition i>: tvres. the operation of windscreen wiper.-. ■Villi rear reflecting mirrors ami other factors that make for safety first.

The motorist drives in one end of the testing station, over the special lane, and out the other. In the American stations there are usually live inspectors to each traffic lane. It is considered that a metropolitan Auckland staiion would require at least two lanes, with provision for a third to meet future demands.

The increasing number of motor vehicles in Xew Zealand is making the problem of road safety correspondingly greater, and the regulation providing for compulsory warrants of fitness U nil important part of the Cnvernments campaign against accidents. So far the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple. has but outlined Ills intentions j regarding mechanical . fitness. and I motorists are awaiting precise advice as to when, where and how they are to obtain these certificates. Increase In Problems. The regulations provide for warrants being obtained twice a year, at a fee in each case of ">/. It Is LXjicctcl that a number of recognised service stations and gnrages will be empowered to issue such warrants pending the formulation of metropolitan schemes. Ax there arc 30,537 private vehicle* regi«t?ied within 1-t miles of the chief post oliice, Auckland, the task of inspecting these by March 31 will be a huge one. The City Council is fully alive to the growth of motoring in Auckland, and the consequent increase in problems of traffic control, audit is understood that the report to be made to the council by the legal and by-laws committee will cover many of these problems. One obvious problem in the control of traffic is that an arterial highway may be under the control at different points of two or three local bodies, and the suggestion has been made that it would be advantageous if one authority, say, the City Council, were given supervision of all traffic in the metropolitan . area. Similarly, it is suggested, the system of licensing would be greatly facilitated if, instead of local bodies issuing licenses for drivers in their areas, the post oliie took over the whole control o£ licenses