TRANSPORT ACT AMENDMENT

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27193, 10 November 1953, Page 12

TRANSPORT ACT AMENDMENT

Compulsory Stop At Level Crossings BUSES AND TAXIS AFFECTED An amendment to the Transport Act, 1949, which makes it compulsory for vehicles plying for hire and carrying passengers or vehicles carrying explosives or inflammable liquids, to stop before cressing level railway crossings, is creating some problems for taxi and bus operators and oil companies. Because there is no exemption clause whatsoever in the new amendment, the problem has now become one for traffic authorities. As the amendment now stands, motor vehicles concerned have to stop at every level crossing, irrespective of whether the crossing is controlled by a crossing-keeper, automatic signalling devices or not. The amendment states that the driver of any motor vehicle which for the time being is used for the carriage of passengers for hire ©r reward, or the carriage of explosives, or the carriage of inflammable liquids in containers which have a capacity of 40 gallons or more, or where the greater part of the load comprises inflammable liquid, must stop -before crossing any level railway crossing. The amendment continues that nothing in this section (46a) “shall derogate from the provisions of section 64 of the Government Railways Act” and it is here that some confusion arises. Section 64 (2) of this act states that any person driving a motor vehicle, when approaching a level crossing must reduce speed to 15 miles an hour when within 100 yards of the crossing and not exceed this speed until after the .line is crossed. If the crossing is controlled by a compulsory “stop” sign, however, the motorist must stop. The apparent contradiction which appears to exist in the provisions of the two acts was explained by a traffic officer. He interpreted the two sections concerned to mean that any vehicle must drop to 15 miles an hour when 100 yards from the crossing and, in the case of public hire vehicles, must •top at the crossing, instead of approaching the crossing at a speed of perhaps 20 miles an hour and then •topping. Carnival Week Traffic

Because no exemption clause has been provided, the traffic authorities have had to consider ways and means ©f overcoming the difficulties that will arise with the show and race traffic this week and on other occasions. These difficulties, said one traffic officer, were “enormous.” Each year difficulties have arisen during show week, but these have been further complicated this year in that taxis and buses (those containing passengers) using Lincoln road, would, under the amendment, have to stop at the Lincoln road crossing. There was ho exemption. Besides the normal congestion that would occur when buses and taxis Ftcpped at crossings, there was the complication of getting these vehicles back into the main stream of traffic, said a traffic officer. If the arnendment was to be enftmrrd—as ft would have to be—the only way.of overcoming congestion at a crossing was to direct public hire vehicles to the side of the road to stop. This should allow private vehicles to pass through without hold-ups, but extreme difficulty would be encountered in getting those vehicles stopped on the side of the road back into the main traffic stream. Last Saturday, New. Zealand Cud day atßiccarton, a traffic officer of the Transport Department was stationed on point' duty at the Riccarton road level cnMsing to keep traffic—both public and private—moving over the crossing Not even for this, however, is any provision made in the amendment “But what else could we do?’’ asked the chief traffic officer of the Transport Department for the Canterbury district E- Wilson). “If we had not directed all traffic over the crossing we would have had a line which extended back to the Square.” No specific plans have yet been made by the traffic department of the Christ•church City Council to cope with the traffic over the Lincoln road crossing this The traffic superintendent (Mr G. P. Kellar) said yesterday that he would be watching the position closely this week, and if serious holdups did occur, something would have to be done. “If every bus and taxi stopped at the crossing, we wouldn’t gpt the traffic through for about twc weeks,” he said. He did not say if the department would follow the same procedure adopted by the Transport Department last Saturday. Even if he had the staff to put on the crossing, he was not sure if he would, under the amendment, have the power to allow a traffic officer to direct public hire traffic over the 'railway lines. “After all,” he said, “if no provision is made for that sort of thing, we are condoning an offence if we allow it” If a traffic officer was stationed there, however, traffic would have to comply with his directions. Private School Beses School buses which were carrying school children for hire—whether payment was made by parents, children, or through the education authorities—will now have to stop before proceeding over level crossings, said an-1 other traffic officer. He questioned, however, if school buses carrying children to private schools—such as Roman Catholic schools—would have to stop. The buses used in this instance were not, as far as he was aware, plying for hire within the meaning of the regulations, as the buses were owned by the schools concerned, the drivers of them worked on a voluntary basis, and no charges were made to either parents or children. It was the view of several traffic officers that unless the act was further amended to provide some exemption for these types of vehicles, the traffic problems would increase and the normal flow of traffic at peak hours and •on-race and show days would be seriously interrupted. Oil and petrol tankers, which also com 6 under the provisions of the amendment have been observing them since the amendment came into force in September. As it provides that vehicles carrying inflammable liquids in containers which have a capacity of : 40 gallons or more must stop at level crossings, farmers who sometimes carry 44 gallon drums of petrol or kerosene m trucks or trailers, and other persons who do this, will also have to observe the amendment.