The Evening Star MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1925. ROADS AND SPEEDING.

Evening Star, Issue 19063, 5 October 1925, Page 6

The Evening Star MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1925. ROADS AND SPEEDING.

The only consolation for tlio degree of inertia shown by the Main Highways Board is that the present bad state of many of our roads prevents speeding on them by motorists. At Saturday’s annual meeting of the Otago Motor Chib Mr Anseli, the indefatigable and common-.son.so president (whom wo take occasion to congratulate on his ro-olcc-: tion to that office), sounded a note of warning to those afflicted with tho speed itch. It took tho officials of the Otago Motor Club months of persistent pressure on tho Minister of Public Works, and it entailed no little expenditure on the part of tho club, to got the Government to take over a notoriously bad section of tho Main North road. Now that a better surface is being provided, some motorists are allowing their exuberance to cause undue pressure on the accelerator, and there is adverse comment being passed by other users of the road and by property holders adjacent to it. Mr Ansoll informed members that there had been complaints about motorists speeding, particularly on the level stretch passing through Waitati. Ho warned motorists that such conduct would probably lead to .the imposing of a speed limit. Thus tho selfishness of a few may lead to the imposition of restrictions on all, and from tho nature of tilings tho restriction is likely to go too far in the. direction of straining average patience —tho swing of tho pendulum in tho opposite direction. No words too strong can be used in condemnation of motorists who flash through tho main street of a township at tho same high rate of speed atf which they have been traversing tho open road through tho countryside. It would involve considerable expense, many clashes with the authorities, and tho harassing of inolfonsivo ami careful drivers if tho adoption of speed limits became general. Most people arc familiar with the police traps and the measures taken to circumvent them by motorists in England, where, however, tho speeding habit has by no moans been overcome. In fact, a. recent issue of the London * Times ! contains a protest by a visiting Now Zealander against tho prevalence of excessive speed, tho frequency of road accidents resulting therefrom, and tho inadequacy of the penalties inflicted on those offenders who arc caught. He contrasts it with tho stricter regulation of snob matters in New Zealand, where it is to be observed with pleasure onr magistrates do not hesitate to cancel drivers’ licenses where they deem tho circumstances to call for such a step. Good roads, says this writer, encourage speed, and for the most part the roads in Britain have surfaces which the motorist afflicted ever so littlo with the speeding itch, often finds tempting beyond his powers of resistance. Good roads in this part of the dominion are so far rather tho exception than the rule. But, now that tho Main Highways Board is acquiring impetus, there tiro good grounds for hoping that as time goes on it will bo the had roads which constitute the exception.