CITY TRAFFIC SYSTEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19827, 23 December 1927, Page 12

CITY TRAFFIC SYSTEM.

"LACK OF SUPERVISION." SYDNEY OFFICIAL'S CRITICISM. POLICE CONTROL FAVOURED. "The delegation of the control of Auckland's traffic to the municipal authorities is in my opinion a retrograde step. The New South Wales police took over the control of traffic from local bodies 27 years ago, and we are satisfied that this system is the only satisfactory solution of the problem." This opinion was expressed yesterday by Superintendent Haden Spyer, of the New South Wales Police, who has been spending three weeks' holiday in the North Island, and will sail by the Maunganui to-day on his return to Sydney. Superintendent Spyer has had 34 years' service in the New South Wales force, and is now attached to the commissioner's headquarters staff in Sydney. His visit to New Zealand has been of a private nature, but he has taken a keen professional interest in police matters while in this country.

" There is no body in a better position to control traffic than the police," he said. "It naturally falls within the scope of their main functions, namely, the safeguarding of life and property. Thif duty is all the more efficiently carried out when the man on point duty is a policeman. You then not only control your traffic, but also at the same time you police your city. . " Human Semaphores."

"Wiiat happens here if you want a constable urgently ? You havo to hunt up tho man on the beat, often a difficult matter. Under our system in Sydney, the tfearest pointsman is available at a moment's notice, and can leave his station, knowing that his place will .be automatically filled by the constable on the beat the moment he notices it is vacant."

All the members of Sydney's police force were trained in traffic work, but the men on regular point duty were specially selected. They worked 44 hours a week, and received z special allowance. "Individually many of Auckland's traffic officers must be good men, but I think they aim too much to be 'human semaphores' rather than to humour the traffic in a more personal way as our men do," ho said,, "I understand they work in shorter spells than our point duty men do, so perhaps that has something to do with it."

On the whole he could not say the city's traffic problem was being dealt with on the right lines. Under the existing system there seemed to be a serious lack of supervision, particularly in the matter of standing cars. He was amazed at the conditions prevailing outside the Chief Post Office, where he had seen unattended cars standing threo deep. When the inside cars moved off vehicles were left standing virtually in the middle of the city's busiest thoroughfare. Advertising in Streets.

Another extraordinary spectacle was the sight of cars standing for no other purpose apparently than to attract possible buyers, Superintendent Spyer said. He had seen a car there marked "For Sale, £45." and another "A Christmas Bargain." The city's traffic problem was quite unnecessarily increased by the apparently unrestricted use of the main thoroughfare for advertising purposes. During a short stay he had seen a tractor, mounted" cowboys'and various display waggons parading up and down Queen Street. Another direction in which there was room for improvement was the control of pedestrian traffic. There were white lines on some of the pavements, but no one seemed to pay the slightest attention to them or to know which side of them to keep. "You havo a serious problem in Auckland by reason of the centralisation of your traffic to a few thoroughfares," Superintendent Spyer said in conclusion. "I cannot say T consider the system of municipal control can be claimed to be an adequate solution."