METAL TRAFFIC STUDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22030, 9 February 1935, Page 14

METAL TRAFFIC STUDS

COMPLAINTS BY ROAD-USERS MOTORISTS AND PEDESTRIANS Metal studs for dividing the road into "lanes" adopted by the Auckland City Council at certain busy intersections have had a fair trial, but it is questionable whether the experiment is an unqualified success. Many roadusers, both motorists and pedestrians, protest against tho use of the studs, which are thought to b9 of little benefit and at the same time to constitute an obstruction.

A violent skid, fortunately without serious results, was executed by a large motor-bus near tho junction of Symoiuls Street and Karangahape Road on Thursday evening. It»was reported that the skid followed striking one of the studs, and the big machine, which was inward-bound, turned right round and faced the opposite direction. Although it is compulsory to reduce speed when approaching intersections, and for that reason the studs are usually encountered by slow-moving traffic, there is a decided feeling of discomfort for the occupants of a motor vehicle that passes over a series of the studs. Some drivers have been so surprised at the succession of bumps that they have stopped to investigate, fearing a punctured tyre. Pedestrians who have had the misfortuno to step on to a wet stud know how slippery they can become. In particular, women have found them a nuisance, it being difficult to prevent an undignified collapse when one heel slips suddenly from tho wet dome.