City Council To Help In Holiday Watch On Roads

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27538, 21 December 1954, Page 14

City Council To Help In Holiday Watch On Roads

“Personally, I think the Government has fallen down on the job, and now at this stage it is asking the main cities to come to the rescue and bolster up a rotten department,” said Cr. N. R. Forbes (chairman of the traffic committee) when, at a meeting of the City Council last evening, he outlined the extension of traffic patrols beyond the city boundaries during the holiday season.

“I can do something outside the city, but, as chairman of the committee, I will not accept responsibility if traffic conditions fall in the city,” he said. ‘*The furthest I am prepared to go to help the Transport Department is to extend out for three miles —from Annexe road to the Junction Hotel, from Deans road to the Riccarton shopping area, and on the Main North road to the Waimakariri bridge, and on the Marshland road to Chaney’s corner.”

Cr. L. G. Amos raised the question of assisting the Transport Department in its special effort The Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, MP.) said a difficulty was that, because of the Royal tour, officers had to sacrifice their holidays last year. The request to assist the Transport Department had come “pretty late.” A number of the council’s officers had already made their arrangements.

“I don’t know what has come over the motorists in this city,” said Cr. J. Mathison, MP. “The speeding has increased. It is a wonder that some people don’t get killed.” Cr. J. E. Tait: They do. “Not within the city,” replied Cr. Mathison. “I don’t know whether it is this time of the year. Attention should be paid to speeding in the city, apart from outside the city.” Cr. Forbes said representations had been made by the Transport Association to the Minister that the Transport Department was understaffed. The roster for the holiday period in Christchurch for traffic officers filled 15 pages. Cr. A. R. Guthrey said Cr. Forbes’s offer was very generous. The responsibility was on the Transport Department, said Cr. J. E. Jones. If three months’ notice had been given, the council could have been expected to do something. More officers were needed in the city to control traffic, said Cr. F. C. Penfold. The extension of the patrol was only a gesture. The council decided to give a measure of support to the Transport Department, the Mayor and Crs. Forbes and Penfold being appointed a committee to discuss the details with the department.

MUFTI AND WOMEN OFFICERS Value Emphasised By Minister REPLY TO MR SEMPLE (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, December 20. The Acting-Minister of Transport (Mr K. J. Holyoake) said today that he appreciated the interest Mr - R. Semple, a former Minister of Transport, took in road safety, but his recent statement on the role of mufti and women traffic officers was not a correct picture of the situation. “Some statistics taken from the period when Mr Semple was conducting a drive for road safety compared with figures immediately after mufti patrols were in operation show that this scheme is producing worthwhile results,” the Minister said.

“From March to July, 1938, when Mr Semple was conducting a campaign, 123 persons were killed in road accidents. During the same months of this year, mufti traffic officers were on patrol for the first time and 116 persons were killed in road accidents, although there are twice as many vehicles on the road today as in 1938. “When a mufti officer encounters a driver who has been drinking he takes his car keys from him. This promptly and effectively stops him from being a further danger to road users. Furthermore, the mufti men catch drinking drivers and other offenders the uniformed officers never see.

“And now with women officers about to be appointed, motorists can expect mufti officers to be travelling singly or in pairs or with women officers. It will now be still more difficult to ‘spot* a mufti officer. “Mr Semple need not fear that women traffic officers will be called upon to wrestle with drunken drivers. Their main, but by no means their only, duty will consist of teaching road safety to children in the primary schools. This will release male traffic officers for patrol duties. I can assure Mr Semple that these men will be capable of dealing effectively with drunken motorists. “One hundred years ago women were not admitted to professions and, in fact, did little work outside the home. Today, there are few jobs women cannot do well. They can, and will, play a real part in road safety. “The Government must move with the times, and wherever possible new, effective and vigorous measures will be adopted to reduce the toll on the roads.”