Motors in London.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12583, 21 January 1905, Page 3 (Supplement)

Motors in London.

INTERESTING FIGURES.

Shall there bft a speed limit for motors going through the City of-London? The Court of Common Council says "Yes"; automobilists say "No." The Corporation requested the Local Government Board to "issue notices under 1 Section 9 of the Motor Car Act, 1903, limiting the speed within the city to ten miles an hour, Mr E. •P. Burd, one of the Board's inspectors,;.held an inquiry at the Guildhall, when evidence lor and against the proposal was given. Sir Homewood Crawford, the City Solicitor, placed the case for a speed limit be : fore Mr Burd.. He; based his case on a ■ statement of the facts as to the traffic of the City, which had 48 miles of streets used by 1,250,000, people, and 100,000 vehicles every day. ' Sir Homewood . gave the results of countings which had been taken at the crossing •in front of the Mansion House, when it wag found that 248,000 persons crossed the roadway#,whilst; only 61,185 used the subways. People seemed to like to keep-above ground. More than £500,000 had been spent on street improvements, yet the congestion increased. There were twenty-three railway stations in the City, which every night and morning caused. hundreds- of thousands of pedestrians to go through it. . Captain No.tt-Bower was the first witness for the Common Council. His view -was that eight or eight and tt half miles an hour ought to b'e : the-limit,. and that ten miles ,was_ too high. In.-ansVePito-Mr Sforesby White,- who Colonel Nott-Bower said there, had been no loss of life, no serious-accidents through motors in the city, and Ad drivers had bean summoned.

Mr Francis', the chief clerk to the City Police, gave the result of certain measurements of tlie-spe~ed of traffic in the City. The greatest speed at the slackest time of the day was eight and a half miles au hour, and the average five miles. In his opinion ten tailes an hour was a- dangerous rate of speed. The total number of vehices pasing the Mansion House in .one day from eight o'clock a.m. to eight o'clock p.m. was 29,745, at the Mansion House Station the number oa the same day was 21,019, and at the Ludgate circus 25,753. Mr. Alderman Alliston spoke in favour of a ten-mile limit. They had a huge traffic in narrow and crooked streets.

Superintendent- Fitzgerald of the City Police, supported the case for a limit of speed. He had seen motors going through the City at a dangerous rate of speed—like a flash of lightning,- he said.. This was, however, a. "figurative expression." Two City constables, who are usually on point duty, gave evidence.. / One- said that the chief danger was to pedestrians. This concluded the, evidence for ' the Common Council, and Sir Moresby White then opened the case for the automobilists. His contention was that, before a place came -within Section 9 of the Motor Act, it must be always, dangerous at all hours for high speeds, and that regulations such as those asked for would .be a discouragement to the use of self-propelled traffic in the City.

Captain Holden, chairman of the Automobile Club, 1 said that a Speed limit of ten miles would mean that a motor would have to be driven at about eight in order to be on the safe side, for it was impossible to take the speed correctly without scientific instruments. .

Mr. Harry S'windley, the honorary timekeeper to the Automobile, Club, gave some experiences as to the speeds of vehicles which he had taken on the previous day on the Thames Embankment opposite John Carpenter street. The fastest hansom, -was fting at the rate of 14.1 miles .an hour, but this was- beaten by a railway omnibus, which travelled at-15.7 miles an hour.. His Majesty's mails went past at 13.7 miles an hour.

Mr. J. R-. Nisbet put in some figures dealing with street fatalities during the past five years in the metropolitan area., and their causes Vans, 70; wagons, carts, drays, 43; cabs, 19 ;. omnibuses,l7; private carriages, 6; cyclists, 4; and motorcars, 1.

Mr. Hurd said he would report to the Local Government Board.