ACCIDENT FREE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 96, 20 October 1934, Page 26

ACCIDENT FREE

CITY OF SUNDERLAND

REASON CREATES A STIR

■ 'A letter from the Town.' Clerk of "Sunderland ~to . the British Minister of Transport . (Mr. Hore-Bolislia) setting out some of- the reasons for Sunderlaii3's^freedom from fatal road acci-.dchts./lccT'to-a .strange situation. Both the. Ministry of '.and the Home Office took the' Town Clerk and the Chief Constable to task for breaking the regulations regarding the operation of .traffic signals.

The Minister of Transport wrote to the Town Clerk asking why Sunderland 's roads were so safe—there had been no fatal, accident since January 1 —and stated "such a result can hardly be fortuitous, but must be duo-to'par-

In his reply the Town Clerk wrote: "A matter which appears from time to time to have aroused much controversy in certain districts is the system of filtration where automatic _ signals are in operation. Since tho installation of the signals in this borough no prohibition has been issued against vehicles running left on the red signal, and the' Chief Constable is of opinion, which he has formed from close observations, that this has resulted in the traffic here being less congested. He is also of Opinion that the 'danger, if any, resulting from filtration to the left on thei ,red signal is much less than woiildfresulfc from filtration to the right oh'thiagreeftrsigual."; : • ■ - :-. .-• " .' ■The? Minister- has:;rep!ioa -taking ;up this >poiat^and...istating;:.:that :ho ■ was''s.binew.hati perturbed':by: th'o .reference to .infiltration; which :h& hitherto- been regarded ,as dangerous to pedestrians. ?' He • eipressed the hope that tho Town Cldrk1 would/review, with the Chief Con-; stable- the question ;of permitting, such filtration.' V, ;, .'•:■ '.-•■' ■-. , ■

Tho'Hpme Office, roading the Town .Clerk's-fetter-in ;thc: [Press, also seized. on. th,e -point and. wrote direct to the ■Chief :Cpnsta-ble,.-stating that they, as-; :sumed ' ihat. filtration to the left was. -provided.'.for; •by a .green, -arrow. '.'.We should^,'l3.6:-much-', obliged,"- -added -the letter,'-'"if'you would confirm .that this .ass,umptiqn>.is; accurate." . There.have, ■in, fact,: never been. any. green arrows on Sunderland's road light traffic signals.

The watch committee cousiderod a reply of the Chief Constable (Mr. J. :'Bud'dick)- to the Home Office and to the Minister of Transport, and approved his. letter. In it Mr. Jtuddick stated that nitration to the left against the red; signals was essential for tho orderly passage of traffic in a town ■with Sunderland's peculiar- street formation. He pohyted out that tho town's main traffic artery was carried by a bridge running north and south, and that the preponderance of the traffic going north turned from west to north at two main corners. If filtration were not' allowed at.these two points great congestion would arise. As for the. Minister's suggestion that filtration was dangerous .to pedestrians, the' Chief Constable pointed out that in the five years during1 which traffic signals hid been operated in Sunderland not a single accident had occurred as a direct result of filtration.

Mr. BuddUvk was still of tho opinioD that the Ministry should allow filtration in Sunderland. He added in his lottcr that, it the Ministry .decided to orohibit-filtration he . would be compelled tr> discontinue the signals and to rcpla'-e them with tho old method of having police officers on point duty, .a method which, of course,, would allow "filtration in arty direction.

As for the provision of green arrows, the Chief Constable pointed out to the Homo Office that he suggested some year^ ago that these should be provided, and a representative of the Ministry of Transport went to Sunderland and watched the signals in operation. Probably he- saw them at a time when there was little traffic filtrating, for ho expressed the opinion that the green arrows,'were .not necessary, and. so Sundorland continued its motliod of filtration without any. green arrows.