THE TRAMWAYS ACT.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14093, 12 July 1911, Page 10

THE TRAMWAYS ACT.

■ —_— I -L ' ' DHASTIC REGULATIONS. (SPECIAL TO "THB PBKSB.") WELLINGTON, July 11. Under tho Tramways Act of last session, the Alinister of Public Works is empowered to make regulations for tho better control of tramway traffic. Regu-J lations. have now been made, and a copy of them has been forwarded to tho City Council. The exact details are, says tho "Post," not available today, but it transpires that eorao of the regulations are very drastic indeed, and will, it is claimed, present a senous problem to tho tramways systems of i the Dominion in general, and particu-! larly the municipal tramways of 1 Wellington. isomo of tho" pro- j visions are to pruveut overcrowding, no '' pa&seugers being allowed to staml so i as to inconvenience the conductor in I the collection of tares. This latter item seems capable of a very wide interpretation. Further, every passenger is to be provided with sixteen, inches of soaung accommodation —a provision that will be difficult to comply with on Wellington's narrow gaugo tramways. The seating and standing accommodation is to be shown conspicuously on tho dash of tho tramcar. VVith a view to meeting the rush for cars at various stopping places an officer is to announce the available* accommodation on eatih car as it approaches, and only the number <tf passengers for which there] is accommodation ar© allowed to bej carried. Should this provision bo enforced tho authorities will, in all probability, have to institute the queue system, by which passengers are drafted according to their destination. The j available accommodation on the car is to be shown by movable figures, according to the number of passengers car- : riod at tho time. If say, it is an Island Bay car, and the figures on tho front of the car as it comes along show that there is room for twelve passengers, that number will be permitted to pass through the gates of the race, which will be shot immediately to prevent any more getting through. Wouldbe passengers are to have priority of I place according to the time of their arrival at the stopping-place; that is, the queue system will be enforced. Interesting, too, in connection with our palace cars, is a provision that if the step of a car is more than 14in from the ground, tho car must carry subsidiary steps. Thus, if a passenger wishes to nlight or enter a car he or she will call out "Conductor, the step." Tho conductor will then have to oomo forward with the portable step, place lit in position, aid let the passenger' ascond or descend. I i Other re<rulntions deal with other dej tails of traffic manngement. on similar ; lines. It is urged, if carried into effect, j these reculat'Yms. which will be in the hands of thiV'c bodies conr»rw>d for a month bpforfl beins gazetted, will affect the Wctiinnrfcon trzcmwav system ._ with it* narrow Rnu<re and cars of limited siie. more seriously then any other of the systems in the centres.