STREET TRAFFIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 106, 28 January 1908, Page 8

STREET TRAFFIC.

4 —~ , , ARE WE BEHIND THE TIMES ? CITY BY-LAWS IGNORED. : POLICE ASSISTANCE WANTED. f If there is a city in-.the Dominion Vwliere the street traffic should be under rigid controlj.it'is Wellington Owing totho.'extreme' narrowness- of, our principal' street's, tlie original blame'-for which'rests equally oh the physical character of v the. city and oil .those brave dead who'wore rcsp'onsible'-fcir-its layout, the traffic- through the. -main business artery/becomes badly congested at certain hours" of tho day, so much so indeed that it is a marvel/that there are not niore seiions accidents; to emphasise'tlie error of. our system'. ' An accident will assuredly, occur one of these days that, will have the salutary effect of waking up the powers ,'that bo/(or should bo),, and-then-there will ,be an outcry as to why. the matter'.was - never attended to before.. • •-' •' . ~ , - ; In regard to fire prevention arrangements, or. rather the protection of -tho public in case' of firb.'in .our .public, buildings, the matter wis- never ,givcn' : sefipu's attention until the awful holocaust at the. burning of the Iroquois Theatro.'iji Chicago a/few years ago. Though no one would suggest that anything so .dreadful could happen in our streets,,.yet theorist of accident is very great, and thereare; few busy residents-.'of' Wellington who cannot, recall at one tinje -or'other a narrow escape- from.-injury att'ributablo to our illcoritrollcd traffic. - : ;In Wellington this matter appears to be 1 tio one's -business , in- particular.-. The City Council authorities say-that it hardly enters into the sphere of,the,duties of their officios, and the police, department do hot make any,.attempt to -exercise'the control that might be vested in them.' Th# Wrong Side, r • Instance's-of.'the.flagrant abuse of the City Council's by-law's are'to-ibo. seen everyday. One by-law states that' "The driver of every | licensed vehicle shall: keep , the sanio oh tho left or near side of tho road, except, in cases of."absolute necessity?'. One -only needs to stand oiri.v the -kcrhirig of a footpath for . a', few;; minutes, at'almost ajjy time of a busy : day'to'.see "the rule of. the road" deliberately disobeyed. Of--course there are many instances .where; a driver,' isc,forced :t'6 take the right;.side ; on',, ; a.pQo,U|it',o.f, vehicles standing stationary, on -thoyjeft. side, with insufficient space' between them; and travelling tramcars to allow him to observe tho rule as it reads ; but,, on the other hand there are inexcusable breaches, in dozens of cases whore carts have been observed jogging, along tho even tenor | of.theii; way on_,the : ".wrong, side," leading to;,endless, vexation .;at; congested street corners. .'A'driver-.is'never-in the wrong if one believes . him;.; but at , busy turnings, such as .Stewart; Dawson's,.,the, Duko of Edinburgh', and" Winder's corners, / there should be -responsible officers .'about to'/'direct the traffic, .arid brjiig the offenders ,to book. , Rounding Street Corners. It is'a well-known'-law that' vehicles should hot procced round a city street corner at more thaii a walking-pace. This law Is: per-' haps thejmost'frequently abused of all. The lackadaisical' attitude "of - the authorities has had such'an effect that the law has, becomc to be. more honoured (amongst the drivers) in the broach than the observance, and it is hardly: necessary to indicate how, after a vehicle -is seen; travelling ■ round .corners at a smart trot, to the risk of life arid limbof,- - 'With a rapidly-growing traffic and- an 'increasing population, this risk is becoming accentuated as time goes on, and the strong arm of exercised law is needed to bring about tho desired change. The Motor Bicycle. "He shalf not ride tho motor bicycle. at any speed greater than'is. reasonable, having regard to tho traffic on tho, street, private street, or .public place, or so as to endanger the - life, or limit; of any; 'person, nor in-auy caso at a greater speed than eight miles-an hour. Round ( or, across any corner or intersection of a street the speed shall not exceed four miles an hour reads tho speed law governing motor bicycles. 'Some 1 motor cyclists seem'to become part of a clattering, sputtering machine, . .'and ; never seem to be content .unless tearing: along , tho 1 'street' at ■anything from' ten t-o twenty miles an hour. Street corners do riot worry a cyclist of this sort very much',"and''intersections of streets, are unconsidered'; trifles.- His machine usually lias the gift, of pace, and nothing 'undor the maximum appeals to him. His whirring career,through the streets is a cpn--centrated risk to life that should bo stopped. Motor-cars/' '.' / • Tho law regarding tho speed of motor-cars, ."is an ass." . It. says—('He shall not drive' the motor-car: at'any speed greater than, is reasonable, having regard to ■ tlio traffic : on tlie rdad, or So-as to-endanger tho'life or limb of any'persOri, or to,tho common.danger to .passengers." Which. means-, that it is. to a largo .extent;.left to every driver to personally' estimate what.- rate. of. speed is " reasonable.", Sonio drivers have peculiar ideas iii, this .rcspcct, and a, magisterial decision is needed to define what:a reasonable rate of speed is,: and authoritative whosQ judgmentin. the matter- of speed must bo takenwithout question before motor-cars arc. properly controlled in tho' city. The !'silencer" ori motor-oars is becoming very perfect' as time goc-s on, and it is not unusual to .see, a--..car travelling silently over the wood blocks! at a-twenty-mile paco, and it... is only luck, combined with- expert steering, that-.prevents accident. Traction engines do not frequent tho busier streets to any extent, but it is pointed oiit that the law provides that they should riot proceod-fastor than four miles an hour —a ! paco some of .thero exceed. .It is suggested that ' tlie. City. Council should conio to some arrangement with tho police in order to create somo kind,of control over the traffic of ouir busy. streets; The by-laws, are, in the main, good by-laws, but they- are rendered as ,nought if thero is no organised . effort -to provide for their forcement. The Chief Inspector of the city has certain powers in this respect, but ho is only one, whereas tlio - police are many, and the control of traffic; seems to bo quite as important as the : arrest of the casual drunkard. Even' if the' city wero to "pay the Polico Department for their trouble in this respect it would bo money well spent.