USE OF SPEED TRAPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25173, 13 March 1943, Page 4

USE OF SPEED TRAPS

CITY COUNCIL'S PROPOSAL OPPOSITION BY MOTORISTS The General Committee will report to the City Council at its meeting on Monday night that the chief traffic inspector (Mr E. H. Barrett) has drawn attention to the excessive-speed of certain types of vehicles, particularly heavy lorries, and the Minister of Transport. Mr J. G. O’Brien, has also publicly stated that such drivers are wasting tyres and petrol. With a. view to controlling these offenders against the regulations, the Minister has commended the reinstatement of* speed traps, and the committee: has, therefore, authorised the' chief traffic in > spector to institute this method of control with a view to discouraging speed. “We strongly object to this or any other underhand method of checking speeds,” said the president of the Automobile Association (Otago), Mr P. W. Breen, when he was informed of the intention of the City Council to institute the use'of speed traps. Mr Breen said that it had been proved by test cases in England that speed traps were an unfair method of detecting the speed of vehicles, as it was impossible without the use of an electric timing system to obtain an accurate result. Mr Breen suggested that offences could be more easily detected if a traffic inspector dn uniform travelled in a car on the highways at a uniform speed of 30 miles an hour. He would then know that any vehicle which passed him .must be travelling at a speed in excess of that which the regulations allowed. The Automobile Association.” he added, “ will strongly oppose the institution of speed traps, which are manifestly unfair.”