TRAFFIC COUNCIL IN DUNEDIN WARMLY APPROVED BY CHIEF INSPECTOR

Evening Star, Issue 26185, 21 August 1947, Page 8

TRAFFIC COUNCIL IN DUNEDIN WARMLY APPROVED BY CHIEF INSPECTOR

The more points of view brought to bear on traffic problems, the greater would be the possibility of achieving a reasonable degree of immunity from road accidents, said Mr E. H. Barrett, chief traffic inspector, in an address to the board of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. For this reason he was strongly in'' favour of a proposed traffic council, which he envisaged as comprising representatives from the Automobile Association, insurance companies, police, traffic department, taxi companies, carriers,i the Press, churches, and other interested bodies. Such a council would he able to deal very effectively with many of the problems which arise in relation to road safety. He also advocated junior cyclists’ clubs, as a means of interesting and educating young cyclists in road safety. The achievement of road safety was everybody’s job, Mr Barrett said, but unfortunately the public generally were to-day treating road accidents as inevitable. This was both erroneous and dangerous to public safety, and it was, the duty of every citizen to actively assist in reducing such accidents to a minimum.

Primary and secondary school children were not being educated to the fullest extent on road safety, although they were often road users as well as pedestrians, he.said, and it was desirable to give them definite instructions on safety regulations applicable in their ease.

Mr Barrett answered a number of questions from members of the board, and concluded by sayiife that it was up to the public of Dunedin to decide what degree of road safety they desired. If they* wanted it badly enough they would support wholeheartedly' any moves made to achieve that end..