Heaviest Fog In Years Blankets City, Suburbs

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28619, 23 June 1958, Page 10

Heaviest Fog In Years Blankets City, Suburbs

Fog—the heaviest experienced in Christchurch for many years—shrouded the city anti suburbs last evening. Traffic was brought almost to a standstill in some suburbs, and passengers in warm cars left their, comfort to walk in front of the vehicles warning the drivers of parked cars and other obstacles.

Visibility in streets near the centre of the city was restricted to less than five feet, and cyclists were compelled to get off their bicycles and feel their way along the streets.

The areas worst affected were Park terrace, Carlton Mill road and streets north of the Square as far out as Salisbury street. Beyond that line, the fog was far less severe. New Brighton and Spreydon were also bady affected. When the fog first settled on the city about 8 p.m. safe driving was limited to a speed of about five miles an hour, especially along Park terrace and Carlton Mill road. By 11 p.m. the fog was much thicker and with an early and sharp frost driving conditions were extremely dangerous. The section of North road from the Belfast Hotel to Kaiapoi was badly affected by the combination of fog and frost. The windscreens of vehicles frosted over and drivers were forced to drive with their heads out the side windows. Cars on the Main North rogd adopted a “follow the leader” policy hugging the centre line of the road to avoid hitting hidden cyclists. At 9 a’clock last night the frost at Rangiora was 10 degrees. Early in the evening, there were isolated patches of ground fog at Harewood airport when the last National Airways flight from Paraparaumu touched down at 8.37

p.m. However, by 10.30 p.m. the fog had cleared and, according to a report from the weather office there, the “lights of Cashmere were shining clear as a bell.” The airport was not closed.

Christchurch Transport Board bus drivers managed to keep up to schedule; but, along with taxidrivers, they experienced a difficult and tiring night. No interruption to railway timetables was reported and early this morning no motor accidents had been reported. Motorists along Riccarton road, where the fog was still very thick at midnight, found the only safe way of making any progress was to drive along the right-hand side of the road, with their , heads out the side window and setting the course by the kerbing. Fortunately the motorists travelling towards the city adopted the same policy. Late last night several cars were noticed parked on the side of Riccarton road where their owners had left them and completed the distance home on foot.