CITY MOTOR TRAFFIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18173, 19 August 1922, Page 11

CITY MOTOR TRAFFIC.

Aspects of control. IpiislTlON IN AUCKLAND. 'SIX THOUSAND CABS; •Tha increase in motor traffic in and •'nt Auckland during recent yean has ; It is estimated by experts IfTthere are now between, 6000 aad 700G ! vehicles on the registers of . local bodies. Ttta total grows steadily, especially on M commercial side. Motor transport, is ■ a p-omment feature of Auckland'? & and road traffic. In the city alone ■*L are qnite 4000 motor-cars. The top SeTfor registration is now 9700 odd, bnTthat total includes all kinds of motor and motorcycles Many of the . .££* however, are obsolete it may that Auckland, with all its pities and courtesies is not, yet a centre in which exact statistics of its wogrcsswe features are easy to obtain. m ," readiness of, say, Toronto m that respect is worth emulation It is mow * jess officially admitted, however, that St would be a very conservative estimate g say that fullv 6000 motor vehicles axe Z commission to some extent daily in Md about Auckland. The membership of the Automobile Association is now near the thousand mark. Control and Oflences. The question of control of traffic in relation to offences in the form of breaches if by-laws in various ways is the subject 'of some difference of opinion. Inquiry shows that Ancklwad has both a. good name and a bad one for its motor traffic. Traffic officials and motorists claim that Auckland compares very favourably with otier cities as regards the observance ol ihe law and the regulation of speed in the interests of pedestrians. Others confer that many motorists have but kttic consideration for the safety of the public Tnl street motor " hog is practically unknown in this city; if a motorist should essay to become a road bog m the country, the conditions of the roads alone would soon exercise controlIt seems that the recent crop of serious motor accidents in and about Auckland has encouraged the opinion, obviously eiatteerated. that the local motorist is /Inld man bent on running down pedestrians. The picture is manifestly absurd. If it be assumed that Auckland s motor vehicles cover about 50,000 miles a day in the aggregate, the perceniiage oJ accidente and even breaches oi the by-laws » comparatively low. It should be noted, too, that a few with a weakness for fast motoring in and about the city could, by appearing in many places during an hour or. two, create an impression that Auckland motor-cars are real juggernauts. The attitude of the Automobile Association is certainly a safeguard for the public. It is to do everything possible to aupport the local authorities in maintaining the motor traffic of Auckland at an appreciable standard of safety.

Features o! 'Control. The city by-laws respecting motor traffic are numerous enough to provide matter for a booklet for motorists. The Jot suggest that very little has been left undone to restrict dangerous use or abuse of motor Tehicles in the city. Soma of the by-laws are described as being both irksome and unnecessary, though . there appears to be more complaint against their interpretation on occasions than sigainst their conditions. Last year seven interpretations were challenged by tha association, and six challenges were successful. That is accepted as an inilication ttafcvsome oi the by-laws are irksome. "Sen there is what is termed the coning by-law concerning turning to the rigii and turning to the left. Tn the &st instance, the motorist must hold out the right arm and hand horizontally to the right. That, say the motorists, is Madly right. But in the turning to the left the motorist must again hold out the! right arm and hand horizontally to the right, but with a forward sweeping iiction of the forearm and wrist, This movement is said to be confusing and somewhat dangerous at street intersectiaas. The elimination or the second clause of the by-law is urged. Then there is the rigid insistence upon a mar light for motor-cars at night, while bicycles, the most difficult vehicle to discern on the road in front, are not required to be so lighted. So with other slow-moving vehicles. By far the strongest objection is taken in respect to the latest by-law imposing upon motorists the necessity for remaining in the rear of a tramway-car that has stopped to take up and set down passengers, except at safely zones. It is contended that this by-law is unnecessary. A Matter of Chivalry. It is pointed out that in the matter of administration of the by-laws and prosecations there is sometimes a delay in summonsing offenders who, when charged with some minor breach, have honestly forgotten the exact circumstances. Through delay they, it is urged, are thus robbed of a reasonable defence. Last and worst of all. there is the longstanding grievance that offenders against the by-laws respecting motor traffic control are dealt with in the Police Court wjflj thieves and disreputable criminals. This is an ordeal that ladies, who sometimes motor jufit a bit too speedily or forget the.by-law pitfalls at intersections, absolutely refuse to face even when they have a good defence. This difficulty, it is pointed out, could easily be overcome by dealing exclusively with by-law offenders on a given day at tho Magistral's Court. Further, it is suggested that some of the time saved in the I'olice Court might be devoted to dealing Wverely with those who delight in throwing bottles on the.streets, to the annoyance and great cost of even the most careful motorists. i; These are the grievances that mark the remarkable growth of motor traffic in Auckland.