DANGER TO MOTORISTS.

Evening Star, Issue 22682, 23 June 1937, Page 6

DANGER TO MOTORISTS.

TO THE EDITOB. Sir, —A paragraph appearing in Monday’s ‘ Star ’ is particularly opportune to ventilate a matter of grave concern to others than motorists who have occasion to use Lower Cumberland street. The paragraph states: “Though the danger sign on the central pillar supporting the overhead'bridge is picked out. in. red reflecting lights, and the pillar itself is painted white, motorists still consider that it is dangerous in wet pr foggy weather.” This .point has. only been apparent since the road has been tar-sealed, and the deduction _is obvious to everyone but the motorists, who, because of the improved road surface, have increased their speed to such an extent that “ a sudden swerve has been necessary to avoid crashing into the pillar/’ to quote a' further portion of the paragraph under analysis. The red reflecting sign referred to is about 4ft high and_ composed of perhaps- 50 reflectors similar to those used by cyclists, and the base of the pillar is over' 2ft. wide. If this is a danger to motorists I ask what chance has a,cyclist with one, reflector and-12in of white mudguard. Only two weeks . ago a motorist crashed into the pillar, in spite ’of the signs referred to. If the, car was under such control that the headlights- and brakes could not prevent the accident, I say again, what chance has the driver of avoiding some unfortunate cyclist, plodding home in the same “ wet or foggy weather ”. that motorists fear ? The whole of this road, from Anderson’s Bay road to the Queen’s Gardens, is poorly lit, and a light under or near the bridge would only allow crazy motorists to maintain the mad speeding that is indulged in over the rest of the road. As I stated above, this so-called “ danger ”, to motorists has only been apparent since the road surface has been put in good order.. When the road was rough, andpot-holed, and therefore liable to'damage .a speeding car, there was: no complaint or necessity to “ swerve to avoid a crash.” If a motorist has such poor control of his car that; he is endangered, by the bridges pillar he is ; a menace to other users of the road,' and would certainly be doing 'the community a splendid service by. crashing into the pillar at .. the earliest possible opportunity. The raising of this point merely serves to illustrate the mentality, of some motorists—“ safety first, V-when it also means self first. This was amusingly illustrated some two years ago when the streets of the city were frozen and dangerous, and well-known speed-hogs were to be seen driving round at about eight miles an hour, men who are at other times only satisfied with 40 and more an hour. Naturally ,_I have “ an axe to grind when referring to this subject. My work compels me to use a bicycle at, all hours of the day and night, and I have had a large number of occasions when my vocabulary has been fully extended because of the homicidal behaviour of motorists who seemingly own the whole of the universe when seated behind a steering wheel: At this I would hopefully suggest to the City Council that the surveyed bicycle track running alongside the railway fence be tar-sealed. It has recently been chipped and cleared of grass by unemployed groups, and is in a suitable state for tar-sealing. This would allow the hundreds of cyclists who use Cumberland street to keep out of the way of motorists, who would then have a clear road, and, perhaps, rapidly exterminate themselves per medium of the aforesaid pillar.—l am, etc., Cyclist. July 22.