A VISITOR TO AUCKLAND.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 17 April 1926, Page 13

A VISITOR TO AUCKLAND.

“WHERE TRAFFIC RUNS WILD.” OPINION EXAGGERATED. “ Auckland with its 16 traffic inspectors, where traffic appears to run wild, and pedestrians jostle one another most shamefully on the footpath,” is a place where a visitor from Wellington was recently very glgd to be away from, and upon returning to Lis home town he penned a glowing account of Wellington efficiency,' which included the following statement: “As far as traffic control is concerned, Wellington is far ahead of any of the places 1 visjted.” In contrast with this opinion is that of a Vancouver visitor who toured New Zealand last year, and recorded his impressions in a Canadian journal. “The traffic is efficiently managed, somew r hat after the fashion of . Vancouver,” he oberved._ “The silent policemen are very diminutive, looking like poached eggs, but the ‘point’ men use the ‘stop’ and ‘go’ signals as with us. Safety concrete platforms are provided at regular intervals, one on each side of the tram tracks for waiting passengers. This prevents interference with vehicular traffic.” SYSTEM OF DEAL CONTROL.

Commenting upon the matter the Mayor (Mr. George Baildon) said that for some time there had been a system of dual control, in which the police and the traffic staff of the City Council warmly co-operated in the interests of efficiency and safety. A sum of £I4OO a year was paid to the police department. and they controlled traffic from 8 in the morning until 6 at night. Outside those hours the city traffic staff was responsible. Four members of that staff were ex-policemen. They were appointed as inspectors because of their experience in the police department as traffic-control men. All the inspectors the council had were supposed to be specially trained men, and. upon entering the* service, it was understood they had a longer course of training than the police department could offer them. They were exclusievly traffic men, and two‘of them were permanently on duty on the water-front. For eighteen months, explained Mr. Baildon, Auckland had been introducing numerous improvements for the more efficient control of traffic, and there was no question that th© effect of these was beneficial and that they were generally appreciated. Auckland was very much alive in the matter, of perfecting her svstem, and the question of adooting useful suggestions was one that was very fully appreciated in the Just two years ago Mr.. G. Hogan (traffic insnector) made a visit to Australia and investigated the traffic systems of Sydney, Melbourne and Ade-

laide, with a view to incorporating th© best features of .those systems in Auckland. Based on his recommendations the City Council had made important improvements. The idea of making the streets to ensure the safety of pedestrians was, however, one that did not prove suitable here, and that was the reason for building on it something that eventually developed into the present fifty-foot safety zones, 6 inches in height above the pavement. No other city in the world had a safety device constructed like our safety zones.