LOFTY LOOKS ON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 89, 17 April 1939, Page 9

LOFTY LOOKS ON.

HAWAIIAN TRAFFIC.

FOR AUCKLAND'S BENEFIT. WRESTLER'S OFF-SEASON TASK Big as he is, Mr. "Lofty" Blomfield. Sew Zealand professional heavy-weight wrestling champion, looked like a traffic problem himself when he stepped off the Monterey this morning after a between season visit to Honolulu. But he did not want to talk either about himself or about wrestling ... he wanted to talk about traffic problems as one who had just made a thoroujjh investigation of American methods of handling them. A talk with Sir Ernest Davis, Mayor of Auckland, had started him on that quest, and at- the Mayor's invitation be had made a hobby of the investigation while he was away. Armed with letters of introduction he spent a good deal of his time in the company of Captain Farr, officer in charge of the Traffic Safety Commission in Honolulu, and he was most impressed with the control that is exercised there. Cause of Accidents. As "Lofty"' points out. the problems to be encountered in Honolulu are largely those who are present in Auckland, as then- aro a number of narrow roads in both cities Honolulu has based its system on tho elimination \

of the causes of accidents, without reducing the speed of trailic ton greatly, and in that it has largely succeeded, he declares. Kvery accident was investigated, however small, to discover the! cause. If carelessness was proved against cither or both drivers, license? were suspended for a few days as a warning. The drivers' licenses could be suspended for even a minor traffic breach caused through carelessness. The driver's test was much more severe than here. too. he said. The applicant had to know the traffic regulations anil the speed limits, and he wae taken out for a full test of his driving skill in traffic. One of the results of that care had been the winning by a Honolulu firm of a ''safety' prize competed for throughout all American States. All truck-owning companies were entered, and the system of judging was based on an initial allotment of points. For every accident in which one of the firniV trucks was involved, innocently or otherwise, points were lost. "Junior" Traffic Officers.

Pedestrian traffic was under as close control as motor traffic, and it jvas eniieidered that the only right a peoVstrian had on a road was n crossing right. "Jay-walking"' was severely dealt with. As a point of intercut. Mr.' JilomnVM pointed out that a ]nr<:ej "junior™ traffic staff was employed in rush hours. The members of this force were high school boys 18 or !!• years of age. They were in uniform and"were stationed at the pedestrian crossings. They worked in co-operation with Jhe traffic-man, and when he stopped traffic they let pcd<-trians cross. They had the right to report any breaches they observed t<> the traffic man, and he could issue a '•ticket" on that information.

"You can't 'fix , tickets there, -, said Mr. Blomfield. "They said that was the main cause of lack of control and set out to eliminate it. When a traffic officer gives you a ticket" a duplicate ie left in the book, and these are checked at headquarters. Any officer caught 'fixing , a ticket is liable to be 'sacked* instantly."

Parking regulations were strictly enforced, he said. Parking spaces were marked off with a line for each car. The driver had to park hie car parallel with the kerb, and eight inches from it.

Automatic Signals. A great deal of reliance was placed in automatic signals, and "They're g00d, ,, says "Lofty." AH signals were syncronised along a length of a busy thoroughfare, and the signals at the various corners were so timed that if a driver maintained a steady 30 miles an hour he "caught".- the green light all the time and was not. held up. If he dawdled or speeded he missed the lights and was. held up. : < - ."

i Ronlevard "stop*" were another good! feature; At all intersections on busy thoroughfares - there were, compulsory stop signs. It worked well, lie said, for there was' no delay while a line of cars went across. . The first car to arrive went aeross first, and «o on. Failure to give way was, regarded seriously, and the emphasis all the way was on courtesy. One safety precaution that had much to commend it, though there were alec things against it,* was that insuranci companies insured all cars. If a eom pany refused to insure a car, because i' had* cost too much owing to accidents the police refused the driver *"«*?*? He had to have his car insured «ion he could get a license to £™'%t «M» It was mostly a holiday , "Loftv" made to Hawaii, •. b ™ n ;iJe has few matches there ef ** come back £ jg „ eeason her., »«i actually p«' splendid condition. « on weight!