TRAFFIC CONTROL LIGHTS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28836, 5 March 1959, Page 12

TRAFFIC CONTROL LIGHTS

State Subsidy For Three Sets

The Government’s policy on subsidising the cost of traffic control lights In cities has been changed, but the Government has agreed to grant the Christchurch City Council's application for a 25 per cent, subsidy on the cost of the lights at the Colombo street, Victoria street and Armagh street intersection, and early in the next financial year it will pay subsidies on the Cashel streetColombo street and the Montreal street-Tuam street-Oxford terrace lights.

Writing to the council yesterday, the Commissioner of Transport (Mr H. B. Smith) said that in _ August of last year the National Rgads Board had agreed that It would contribute 25 per cent, of the cost of installing traffic lights on declared State highways in cities. The Government had now considered the previous subsidy system and decided that it should be discontinued. In the- pagt, local authorities installed ligh&Xiaid for them and then applied to "thd-Govern-ment for a subsidy. Mr G. P. Kellar, the City Couilcil's Traffic Superintendent, said yesterday that when the council had applied for the subsidy it had been told that there were no funds available and it should apply again in the next financial year. It appeared that the Government had now granted the three subsidies to put its house in order before the new policy was introduced.

The City Treasurer (Mr L. A. G. Rich) is now checking to see how many of the eight sets of traffic control lights now Installed in the city have had the subsidy.