THE SAFETY ZONE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17634, 11 December 1922, Page 8

THE SAFETY ZONE.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS. '* Sir, —During Saturday afternoon I learned that the new safety zone has been causing some minor accidents—particularly so on election night. I littlo thought that so soon* I myself would witness a painful and embarrassing fall on this piece of hard concrete. At 10.15 on Saturday night the Square was crowded with people, mostly contributed by the just emptied cinema houses. At that time I was standing on that at. present mis-named piece of masonry, when a young girl in her early 'teens came racing over from the direction of the Cathedral, with her face smiling with eager expectancy in her endeavour to be in time for an outgoing tram-car, when next moment she caught her foot against "that six inches" and came the most violent sprawl I have ever seen that has not occurred on a Rugby football field. The little lady caught the car all right, but if. she has recovered from her aches and bruises by this time she is indeed fortunate. Now these violent concussions on this hard concrete can, I believe, be easily averted by the use of white paint. My suggestion is to paint a belt of the roadway proper to a width of four feet, and a length extending precisely that of the zone. Of course the. paint would require to be applied regularly week by week. I can find no fault with the lighting system, which will be greatly increased by the light standards when they are ready in. a feiv days' time. This great volume of light will show up the white paint most Vividly, and reduce these occurrences, which are at once both painful to the victim and the onlooker. I might mention that, in the case under review, the girl's prostrate person slid clean across the zone, owing ■to'the impetus being so-great. I trust you will print this letter and co-oper-ate with btfth myself and others in an endeavour to make the zone what it can so easily be—a real safety zone. —Yours, otc, CIVIC INTEREST. N. B.—l would suggest painting the exposed side of the kerb also, so as to meet the proposed four-foot belt.