CONTROL OF TRAFFIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20930, 21 July 1931, Page 10

CONTROL OF TRAFFIC.

NEW ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

SET REACHES AUCKLAND.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR A TEST.

Included in the cargo of the Waikawa, which arrived from Pacific Coast ports on Saturday, were six cases, containing a complete electric traffic control apparatus, which has been lent to the Auckland City- Council, for trial by the makers, a company in Los Angeles. It will be installed as an experiment, probably at the intersection of Queen and Customs Streets.

With the council's authority, the city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, and the chief traffic inspector, Mr, G. It. Hogan, undertook exhaustive inquiries about a year ago into the . suitability of automatic apparatus for traffic control' in Auckland. It was considered at the time that as the flow of traffic at some intersections would shortly reach the required minimum of 1200 vehicles an hour, automatic systems should be investigated, with special reference to the difficulty that right-hand turns were allowed *at the busiest Auckland intersections during most of the day, and at all times in the case of tramcars. Thirteen Firms Approached. The two city officials were not inclined to the belief that automatic signalling could equal the manual system under such conditions, but agreed that a full investigation ought to bo made. Plans of 10 intersections, with full data, were prepared and sent to 13 manufacturers in different parts of the world. One particular apparatus, which pro* vided both lamps and semaphore signals, was considered from its description to offer advantages over all others of which details were supplied, and the council decided last March to accept an offer by the makers to loan a set for trial free of charge. How the Device Operates.

The original intention was to instal the apparatus at one of the less-frequented crossings, such as the intersection • of Queen and Victoria Streets, but it is now proposed to try it at the Customs Street intersection instead.

The signals are, mounted upon four iron posts, one placed on the left side of each street, looking toward the intersection, and on the outer side of the pedestrian crossing-lane. Each is provided with red and green lights and two short semaphore arms, marked "stop" and "go," which rise and fall alternately with intervals of a, few seconds to allow the traffic streams to start and stop. The duration of flow in either direction may be varied as required, and may also be synchronised with the movements of apparatus at other intersections in the vicinity.

It is unlikely that thb installation will be in full working order for some time to come, possibly not for months,