CONTROL OF MOTOR TRAFFIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21099, 5 February 1932, Page 12

CONTROL OF MOTOR TRAFFIC.

Sir, —As a motorist of many years' experience may I bo permitted to make some remarks and suggestions re traffic control. To successfully cope with such intersectional traffic as exists in Auckland T submit that following is the order of suitability of various schemes. (A) Have no control at all. Motorists can sort themselves out far more quickly than any agent, human or mechanical, can direct them. In substantiation of this there is a certain five-street crossing in Sydney carrying about three times tho volume of traffic the Grafton Bridge intersection does (at peak hours). Sometimes a policeman is on point duty there but generally there is none. It is significant that while yet a long way off I cculd invariably tell when that point was manned by the congested condition of the streets leading thereto. (B) Hand control as existed prior to the installation of the present automatic devico. (C) The stop-go hand operated control such as was used by the police years ago. This is rather inflexible, but the human clement can to a certain extent take care of inequalities in the cross streams. (D) Least suitable is the piesent auto-control. While, no doubt, it would bo very efficacious in New York or London or other largo cities having unending streams of cross traffic it is quite out of place in Auckland. The City Council pointsmen are sufficient for Auckland ab present and for many years to come and I think it a pity to waste public money playing with unsuitable American devices. I suggest the City Council pack it up and send it back forthwith. Another point, substituting mechanical devices for human labour is not going (o alleviate unemployment. Richard S. Jardin.