The Press MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1965. Caravans On The Roads

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30938, 20 December 1965, Page 16

The Press MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1965. Caravans On The Roads

The proposal to bah the towing of caravans and trailers on main roads between 4 pm. and 7 p.m. was made by the traffic committee of the Waimairi County Council “with our tongue in our cheek", according to the committee chairman (Cr. W. E Cassidy). Others may revive this proposal, without tongue in cheek, if traffic congestion caused by caravans gets much worse. Cars towing caravans’ or trailers are restricted to 40 miles an hour, so that even on straight, level stretches, it is often impossible for following vehicles to overtake safely because of oncoming traffic. On hilly or winding roads cars towing caravans are forced to travel much slower—usually in a lower gear—and overtaking opportunities are fewer than on straights. Serious consideration has been given to increasing the speed limit for cars towing caravans and trailers. Overseas trials have shown that welldesigned caravans can safely be towed at speeds well above 55 miles an hour, the New Zealand speed limit for cars without trailers. Modern braking systems for caravans enable a car and caravan to pull up just as quickly as a car without a caravan. But not all caravans sold in New Zealand measure up to these specifications; many now in use probably fall far short of them. It woulo be unwise to raise the speed limit for cars with caravans while too many unsafe caravans are still on the roads. There is a good case, though, for immediately raising the specifications for new caravans, in preparation for an increase in the speed limit in a few years.

Another source of danger, both to the caravaner and to other road users, is the under-powered car towing a large caravan. This foolishness could be stopped and should be stopped by the enforcement of a minimum power-weight ratio. Even today no salesman with any regard for his firm’s reputation will sell a big caravan to a man with a small car. The growing practice of attaching a boat trailer to a caravan is also causing the authorities justifiable concern. An articulated procession comprising a powerful car, a big caravan, and a 16-foot yacht is, indeed, a brave sight—a triple status symbol, as it were. It may take up to 60 feet of road space, it can hold back a queue of cars for many miles, and it is likely to halt traffic in both directions for several hours when it is unhitched to negotiate a sharp bend. It should be banned from the roads, except, possibly in the small hours of the morning.

The ownership of caravans, boats, and boat trailers in New Zealand is Increasing faster than the ownership of cars. The problems they cause will become acute, particularly in the holiday season, before the new motorways, under construction or planned, provide some relief. Restrictions on the use of caravans and trailers are inevitable. They may be delayed or minimised if their drivers set a high standard of road safety and courtesy. Allowing following cars an early opportunity to overtake is the golden rule for caravan owners—even if this means, as it sometimes does, pulling right off the road and halting. This is a small price to pay for the privilege of owning a caravan, and a form of insurance against curtailments of the privilege.