STREET TRAFFIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1704, 22 March 1913, Page 6

STREET TRAFFIC.

POLICE TO . ASSUME CONTROL. DETAILS AGREED TO. Prom the beginning of April next street traffic in the city of Wellington will be controlled solely by tho police. Negotiations with th;s end in .view have been in progress foil seme time past between'the City Council and tho Hen. A. L. Herdman (Minister for Justice), and on Thursday Mr. lierdman ■ informed a\ reporter that the necessary • arrangements had been made. He had that cay received a draft -agreement from the City Solicitor (MV. J. O'Shea), and when it'had been approved by tl» Crown Law-'Office and terms .finally settled,' tho .new system 'would commence. The. agreement, the Minister add-xl, would r hold good for a year, and either party would have a right to terminate the agreement or to'make a fresh arrangement, at' the end -of that time on giving a month's notice.'; Some further, information regarding the new agreement was obtained iroiu other sources. Although'the police exercise a general control'of''iraffic in all parts of the. Dominion, and on' o'crasion bring offenders .into court for breach of the traffic by-tews,* the police control which is. about to be •instituted, in Wellington marks a new departure far.as.New Zealand is Concerned. Under '.t!i? .draft agreement: ■the city will .pay to the' G-bvormnent a ?um oi a "year. "Pointsmen" will bj permanently stationed at three places where- the cily traffic is heaviest to contrcl and direct tho passage cf. vehicles. The selected points are the Biink of New Zealand cornc-r, Quay,and..Willis Street), ths Duko< of --'Edinburgh l ' c&rner (Manners Street and .Willis.Street), and the Royal Oak corner -(.Manners- Street and Cuba Street). Six coustaljlfs 1 will -be eifi'plojtd ,as poiutsmeuj so that theyjiiay work' in, two shifts.ot three ; .men eacJi. Tho duties of .'the pointsmen will bo to keep vehicles, to the tide of the street on which the by-laws require them to pass, and to report any infringement of the bylaws with -a view to' the prevention of offenders. Tho city authorities' have undertaken, to consider .any new by-laws' which, the police may : suggest as ncccssary. to ensure a proper control and regulation of traffic. The police authorities, it is stated, are very keen tt> take ui> this work of traffic regulation, as it will do away with any possibility of trouble arising from divided control, and-will give them a freer hand, than at-present in providing for the safety of the public. Vnder the new arrangement the policy.will also have ft larger control 1 than. at'' presvJ'.t over licensed vehicles'. ' ' >

... The Mayor (Mr.; D. M'Larai), when he was spoken to cu the s>i)b;fct, declared biiusslf confident that a np?iul aiul,necessary reform would be establish: d by the institution of police control of" street traffic. The greatest gain would ...be' in making the. streats, in the. heart of the city much safer than at present-, for the passage, of pedestrians.. Another thing mentioned by' the Mayor was that fruitless attempts had been, made in, the past by ■ the city authorities to divert heavy traffic which. now •, passes unnecessarily through Willis Street'and Manners Street into tlie more comlncdio'us streets towards the harbour foreshore." Past attempts in this direction had 'hot been .very successful, but they would now be renewed with much greater' prospects of success. A completely satisfactory regulation of traffic could not bo attained at a moment's notice, Mr. M'Laren remarked, in conclusion. Reasonable opportunities, vould have to -be given to drivers of vehicles and others to realise what was demanded of them under tho new arrangement, but there was every reason to beiieve that the ultimate results would be highly satisfactory. ... , Commissioner Cullen, when he was approached, said. that', the. whole thing was m embryo as yet;-and that many details would have to be.■arranged, but that', lie was very much in faVbur of the control of street traffic being entrusted to the polico force. There was no doubt that a proper regulation of traffic would mako tho streets of Wellington much safer than they were nowi ; Tho Auckland City Council is at present ill negotiation with tho Minister-for Justice with a view to arriving at, an arrangement,similar to that which has been made in Wellington.