NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20608, 5 July 1930, Page 12 (Supplement)

NOTES.

Sixteen persons have had to pay £1 each for the offence of "jay-walking" in New Yorl;.

Prospective Customer: "I would like to see a really good used car." Dealer: "So would I."

Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, and nowadays lots of wives do the same and turn into a ditch.

One of the best slogans carried on the London trams during National Safety Week was: "Insurance cannot replace a life."

Parking " two deep " is very prevalent in Auckland at present, particularly outside the, Central Post Office, and near certain Queen Street shops.

Motorists who have not yet renewed theii licences should do so at once, as the annual City Council " drive " to catch offenders is due shortly.

There are 34,876,837 motor vehicles in the world, 76 per cent, of which are in itho United States, according to a return compiled by the. National Automobile Chamber of Commerce.

" Development of the- roads in Madagascar is resulting in steady progression of tho motor movement, tliero now being over 2000 cars in use, as compared with about 1500 a year ago.

The killings between the tram-tracks in several Auckland streets are urgently in need of repair. Deep pot-holes in tho llem.uera Road. Khyber Pass and Karangahapo lload fillings are causing inconvenience to both motorists and motorcyclists.

Few people realise that it is woman, Damo Ethel Locke-King, to whom they arc indebted for Brooklands Track. Damo Lccko-King takes a. great interest, in Ibooklands and its improvements, with a view to making race meetings even rnoro popular with the public.

Tho stopping of laigo motor-buses six or eight feet from the. kerb when passengers wish to alight, is a frequent source of annoyance to other road-users. This fault is particularly apparent in Queen Street in the early evenings, when buses are often stopped momentarily alongsido cars parked by the kerb, and block practically the whole roadway.

A DANGEROUS ROAD.

OLD FORMATION CONCRETED. During the past few months considerable attention has been drawn lo the number of motor accidents, and ways and means in which tho road may bo mado safer have been considered. It has been alleged that when a better class of road is provided more accidents occur, and as an example the highly expensive, formation of concrete road from Auckland to Papakura has been quoted as an example. When it is remembered that tho alignment of this road was laid down in the middle of lost century it is riot surprising that it is not strictly according to present highway standards. It is also not to be wondered at that accidents occur when vehicles travelling at, present-day speeds attempt to negotiate road of such early specifications. Tho concrete was laid on the old formation and no attempt was made to improve tho alignment. to ease tho corners or to improve the visibility. Under such conditions accidents must occur. Good often comes out of evil, and this road, one of the I earliest to bo constructed in concrete, has served as an object lesson in futuro construction. To-day no road engineer would consider replacing highways in expensive material unless the alignment and curvature were brought up to modern standards. DANGER OF SKIDDING. Certain corners on the concrete section of the Great South lload, in particular those, sections where a coating of bitumen has been laid down, become very slippery after a little, rain and aro proving treacherous. l?oad users aro thereforo urged by the A.A.A. to reduce speed when approaching corners and prevent risks of skids developing which may result in damage to traffic approaching in the opposito direction, HIGHWAYS BOARD GRANTS. From the information which is available at present it appears that tho grants which will be available to the county councils from tho Main Highways Loard fund will be considerably reduced for the present season. It is apparent that there will bo a falling-off in the revenue from motor taxation, but it should not bj sufficient to cause the drastic reductions which it is believed are proposed. Construction work is being pushed forward, and in North Auckland every effort is being made to effect metal communications wbero clay gaps still exist. '1 his work is urgent and must be completed at tho earliest, possible moment, but if there is to bo any shortage of funds the road user will naturally look for efficient maintenance to be carried out, oven if some of the. construction schemes, which amount to improvement to existing metal roads, aro to bo retarded. In the prosent state of the country's finances, it might perhaps be better to suspend entirely the construction of roads capable of carrying 10-tou loads and to restrict tho construction to surfaces which would satisfactorily permit loads of six tons. Tho resultant saving would go a, long way toward providing a light permanent surfacing on some of tho roads running away from tho railways and might- perhaps relieve the position as far as maintenance is concerned.