SAFETY AND SPEED

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12527, 17 August 1926, Page 6

SAFETY AND SPEED

NEW TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE LARGELY USED IN STATES MAYOR IS CONVERTED Though Wellington’s traffic problems are considered locally to be big, they are small when set beside the problems which bristle before the municipal authorities of Sydney and Melbourne. That is the conclusion readied by the Mnvor (Mr C, J. B. Norwood) during a trip to Australia on which lie devoted much time to tile study of civic modes and results. Yesterday, on his return to Wellington, Mr Norwood confessed that he was absolutely a Convert to the system of traffic control by lights. This was now in operation in New York, Chicago, and other big American cities, where the volume of motor traffio was great. Known as “the three light system” this is the best and most effective way of dealing with the intersection problem or so the Mayor thinks. Take the intersection of north-south, and eastwest streets. A white light on either side signals that the road is open, a red that it is closed; a yellow spells caution, and announces that the sign is about to change. Traffic may be allowed to flow past north and south for, say, 45 seconds, and turn east and west for 25 seconds. When the northsouth streets are open the cars may spin past as fast as they like in order to get clear before the sign changes, And pedestrians may walk with them quite Safely without the need for keeping a sharp ldok-out in all directions. FROM A CONTROL POINT The signals were operated by clockwork from the central station, and there waR no call for an army of traffic police. The traffic squad was not confined to points at the exhausting duty of directing traffic, but were employed in keeping , the signals in order and in catching offenders. The advantages of the system were its safety, ite speeding up of traffic, and the fact that there was no intermediate period for the motorist while lie was awniting a signal and did not know what to do. It was a system which might be adopted by many cities, he thought, beating in mind the days when it used to take him threequarters of an hour to cover the ground from Earl’s Court to Fenchurch street, a run which should not occupy more than ten mihutes. SIMILAR TO OURS Melbourne and Sydney at present depended Upon a system of control very similar to Wellington’s, a manunl control, but they also had the benefit of one-way traffic, to which the present lay-out of Sydney contributed considerably. Control was In tile, hands of the State police, of a special traffic branch trained for that particular work. Asked if he thought that the Wellington City Council might follow the example of Melbourne, and send a traffic officer abroad to study the latest methods of control, Mr Norwood said that Wellington's problems had not yet reached that stage. All the necessary data was available to the traffic office, and while the city’s problems admittedly were great they had not reached the point where such action was necessary. Questioned as to the future of Wellington traffic control since the Commissioner of Police (Mr AY. Jj. Mellveney) had announced that he will not renew the police agreement with Wellington City on the old terms, Mr Norwood said that he had not had an opportunity of discussing the matter with Mr Mellveney recently. He had an appointment with the Commissioner just before sailing, but had been unable to keep it He intended, however, to take up the question promptly.