The Hutt News Wednesday, July 2, 1946. TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

Hutt News, Volume 20, Issue 5, 3 July 1946, Page 7

The Hutt News Wednesday, July 2, 1946. TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

Traffic congestion is a great problem in Lower Hntt, and methods of dealing with it must give the authorities many a headache. In ; regard to road traffic the inspectors are doing excellent work, and deserve the fullest cooperation from, the public. Unfortunately that co-operation is not always given. Some motorists .-ire thoughtless, others are criminally negligent, and as a result avoidable accidents occur. With the removal of the restrictions on the sale of petrol and the very great increase in the use of cars, many of which may not be in the best order, it behoves every motorist to take the greatest care, especially in congested areas like the Hutt Valley, and to support and lighten the work of the traffic inspectors as far as possible. Traffic congestion on footpaths in Lower. Butt r especially on Fridays) is a matter' that needs attention. Owing to the closing of shops on Saturdays_Friday has become the general shopping day, and the shopping area in High Street' is usually a seething mass of humanity. What with groups of people chatting in the middle of the footpath, prams standing at all angles while the mothers stop to chat, and bicycles which have fallen from the gutters lying half-way across the footpath, it is often difficult for pedestrians to , get along. , w In most towns notices advising people to keep to the left are prominently displayed, and anyone standing in the centre of the footpath is tapped on the shoulder and ordered to move to the kerb, while in some towns an officer with a loud speaker cheeks jay walkers. With the tremendous growth in population in Lower Hutt and the concentration of people in a small area on the main shopping day strict control of traffic is a vital necessity.