MOTOR & CYCLING

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1929, Page 20 (Supplement)

MOTOR & CYCLING

CAR PARKING AREAS ; EFFECT OX BUSINESS PREMISES LATEST AMERICAN IDEA. It' was learnt in the Concert Chamber yesterday (says the Dominion of August 22nd), after the freehold on the western side of lower Taranaki Street had been unsuccessfully offered at auction, that some of those present were of opinion that a deterrent to the business value of the section offered was the fact that the City Council had declared a strip of the street in front of the section a public park for motor-cars. It was argued that show windows were rendered less valuable when the public was allowed to park cars for indefinite periods along the street as they blocked the view from the opposite side of the thoroughfare. One gentleman with an extensive knowledge of values in the city stated that it. was well known that premises fronting a wide street brought higher rentals, for people with cars could draw up in front of the shop, make their purchases, and drive away, which they were not able to do so comfortably where the road was narrow, and parked cans were an obstruction to the rest of the traffic. In cases where part of a istavet was a declared parking-place the situation was even less satisfactory in the the case of retail businesses, a<s when the park was filled with cars parked rearon to the kerb there was no chance of the shopping motorist drawing into the side of the road. It was stated by one of those present that an exemplification of this state of affairs could be seen almost any day in Courtenay Place and the wider parts of Lambton Quay. This idea of shopping . per motor-car has already borne certain fruit' in some cities in America, where shop fronts are being set back in a semi-circular fashion in order to provide for a motor drive within the premises. The idea was that the motorist practically drove into the shop, and, without leaving the ear, crave orders to the assistants, which, on being fulfilled, enable the purchaser to drive off without releasing his hold on the steering wheel. MOTOR SPIRIT PRICES. Motorists in Great Britain are complaining of the excessive retail prices of petrol, the rate now being Is 7d in the London zone and Id more outside. Petrol is not cheap in New Zealand, but at Is lid a gallon it is on a fairer basis than exists in England. Great Britain has also a petrol tax of 4d included in the retail price. In April, 1928, first grade motor spirit was at Is OJd in London. In the following month the 4d tax was imposed, and the trade added an extra id, bringing the price at the pump to Is 4jd. In March, 1929, the petrol companies raised the price, and first grades are now Is 7d. Petrol was at its peak in London in August, 1920, when it rose to 4s 3Jd. In the war control period its-peak was 4s in September, 1917. The following indicates the fluctuations in the retail price during the last'

CARELESS MOTORISTS. EXTRAORDINARY LIST. Under the heading of “inexplicable negligence” a list of extraordinary accidents due to the carelessness of motorists is published by the Canadian National Railways in an analysis of accidents occurring on the railway lines of Canada last year:— One driver parked on the railway lines while he had a sleep. Forty-four motorists drove into the sides of moving trains. Thirty-eight drove into the sides of standing trains. One tried to drive between two railway trucks. Seven went for a drive along the railway tracks —they met express trains. One driver left his car on the tracks to search for something he had dropped ,on the road. When he returned there was nothing left of his car. One driver stopped on the railway tracks to adjust his load. Eleven found too late that their brakes needed relining. Forty per cent, of the accidents at level crossing were due to the same “inexplicable negligence” of motorists; 325 vehicles broke or damaged level-crossing gates which had been shut. FRONT WHEEL BRAKES. EFFICIENCY GREATLY ADVANCED. With the general use of the front wheel brakes, the braking power available to drivers has been greatly increased. In the old designs of rear-wheel or gear-box brakes it was comparatively easy to get good, if harsh, braking. But the addition of front wheel brakes meant a further distribution of the actual power applied by the driver. Joints, rods, and eo forth had to be doubled. Again, the speed of cars has greatly increased. The brake designer and the makers of brake linings have now to think in terms of braking down from 50, 60, or even 70 miles an hour. Brakin<r efficiency, however, has advanced adequately with increased general motoring efficiency. Cars that will do high speeds to-day are as safe to handle and in many cases actually safer than the much slower vehicles of 10 years ago, largely on account of the speed and smoothness with w’hich the can be pulled up. But it is more than the average driver can do to get the best out of the modern type of brake without mechanical assistance. There are now a number of different types of mechanically assisted braking systems in use. In England and Europe the system most in use is that in which the engine assists the driver in the task of putting on the brakes. In the United States the popular method is to apply the brakes with the assistance of hydraulic power.

“SIT UP.” WHERE DRIVERS ERR. A CAUSE OF FATIGUE. Motor-drivers who sit slouching in their seats are too often noticed about Canterbury roads. They arc risking one of the worst enemies of the motorist, fatigue. A normal" driver is subject after an average drive of 200 miles. To be then suddenly overcome by excessive fatigue often' may have fatal- results. The following important extracts are from a paper on driving fatigue recently broadcast by Dr. W. M. Scholl, a noted American orthopedist, wflio claims proper recognition of driving fatigue would reduce motor accidents. According to the doctor, the correct posture in driving a car is as important to the conditions of the driver’s nerves as the proper control of the ear. The most obvious reason for adopting a correct posture is Ito avoid fatigue, and it requires less expenditure of strength and nervous energy to drive in the correct posture than when the driver permits himself to slouch. Again the driver who sits up straight is more alert and in a better position to respond to emergencies which require quick though and action on congested highways. Dr. Scholl says the relation of posture to health is not very well understood, but it one one to which a great deal of thought is given by orthopedists. The orthopedist recognises that an habitually wrong posture may result in the impairment of the feet through thp. misdirection of the body’s weight, which may not fall upon foot structures biologically qualified to bear it. Conversely, persons with poor feet are apt to acquire bad posture. This is fairly well known, and the fact that it requires greater effort to maintain the body in an incorrect' posture in standing than in proper poise is also recognised. But few person realise the importance of correct poise when sitting, as one docs in the driver’s seat. It is even more important to cultivate a habit of correct poise in sitting than in standing;-.many persons who pride themselves on their erect carriage when standing or walking make no effort to sit upright. It is not possible to keep fully alert after hours of driving slumped into the seat the chest compressed so as not to admit the free entrance of air into the lungs, with spinal column subjected to. continuous strain and with digestive organs compressed as a result of bad posture. Studies of school children reveal how close good posture is related to vigorous health. As the problems of driving multiply, question of physical fitness and readiness, which were scarcely considered a few years ago, are pressing to the front: Provided that the driver’s scat is correctly adjusted in its position in relating to proper handling of throttle, brakes and steering gear on the part of the individual driver, an upright posture with chest out, trunk, upright, head up is to bo recommended. It is not necessary to fall into an incorrect posture in order to effect that change of position which affords relief from sitting in one attitude. The cultivation of good posture while driving may be difficult at first and entail some muscular strain until the body habitually responds and it becomes second nature. The use of drivers’ seats which can be adjusted to the size of the driver afford support to the back and which makes it unnecessary for him to adopt unusual attitudes in the control of the car is not only a factor for health but also for safety in driving.

MOTORING IN UNITED STATES. CHRISTCHURCH MAN'S IMPRESSION When interviewed by a Christchurch Times reporter, Mr; H. G. Wake who has returned from an extended world tour said that one of the most interesting periods of his eighteen months holiday was spent in the United States and Canada. / Mr. Wake, accompanied by Mrs. Wake, left for New York, via Halifax, from the Havre, France. In spite of their expectations they found the great city’s tall buildings most charming. The architectural finish of the huge structures was very wonderful and Mr. Wake said he was much impressed. One interesting feature of New York was the great double traffic tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting New York with Jersey City. Mr. Wake said that the tunnel contained provision for two lines of traffic in both directions. A special footpath along the walls of the tunnel was continually paraded by traffic inspectors equipped with every possible device to attend to cars in trouble so that there would be no interruption of the traffic. The tunnel cost a huge sum to construct but Mr. Wake read a ' newspaper announcement before he left the city that the whole amount had been almost regained in toll-fees paid by users. After viewing the wonderful Niagara falls, which Mr. Wake said could not bo described adequately, the travellers spent some time in Detroit, the centre of the motor-car manufacturing industry, i Mr. Wake spoke of his visit to one of the leading factories where ho bought a car, and said that the mass production was really wonderful. He added incidentally that the high rates of pay received by the workmen would astonish New Zealand manufacturers. The remainder of the American tour was done in the new car, and Mr. Wake was most enthusiastic about the motor camps that were established all over the country. The bungalows at the camps were equipped with every possible thing, including a wireless set, and each had a separate garage. Living in them was much cheaper than staying at a hotel and considerably more convenient. Two proprietors of camps told Mr. Wako that they were making excellent profits. In California the camps were particularly well patronised as the tourist season continued all the year round. The main highways in the States, said Mr. Wake consisted almost -entirely of concrete or asphalt, the surface being almost perfect. One fault was that they were a little bit on the narrow side and care had to be. exercised when passing other vehicles. In California, however, the narrowness vanished and Mr. Wakei considered the roads there to be the finest in the world. They were all concrete and very wide. .

15 years:— s. d. s. d. July, 1914 1 8 Feb., 1924 ' 1 11 Feb., 1919 2 101 Sep., 1924 1 71 Feb., 1920 3 8J Sep., 1925 1 61 Aug., 1920 4 31 March, 1926 1 71 Oct., 1920 4 01 Nov., 1926 1 6 Jan., 1921 3 51 Dee., 1926 1 51 May, 1921 2 Hl March, 1927 1 31 Au<r., 1921 2 51 April, 1927 1 21 Sep., 1922 2 0 Aug., 1927 1 11 July, 1923 1 81 April, 1928 1 01 Sep., 1923 1 61 May, 1928 1 45 March, 1929 1 7