RACE DAY TRAFFIC.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18818, 5 March 1931, Page 5

RACE DAY TRAFFIC.

COMPLAINT REGARDING SPEEDING. LEVELS COUNTY COUNCIL TO ACT The Borough Traffic Inspector (Mr C. Newcome) has drawn the attention of the Levels County Council to the excessive speed of motorists on the main north road on race days. The matter came before the monthly meeting of the Council yesterday, the inspector, in a letter, stating that as there was a race meeting approaching, he desired to draw attention to the excessive speed and dangerous driving of motorists between the borough boundary and the race-course. Some of the cars travelled at between 40 and 50 miles an hour, and very little speed was reduced rounding bends, which constituted a danger to other users of the road. If this continued, sooner or later a serious accident would occur. He suggested that some supervision be exercised to minimise the risk of accident. Mr C. E. Kerr: “I think we should back Mr Newcome up.” Mr D. Grant: “It doesn’t only happen on race days. It happens every day in Mr Kerr said that he had read an article recently, which showed that if a motorist was travelling at 40 miles an hour, and another motorist came across an intersection, a person had one second only in which to act. In that time he would go 60 feet, and it was hard for a man to realise that he was going at that pace. If they took a rate of 40 miles an hour, and divided it by two, that would leave 20 yards a second or 60 feet. If people would only think in seconds and feet there would be fewer accidents. The chairman: “The best thing we can do is to appoint someone. Probably the police would act.” The Clerk (Mr F. E. Whitehead): “They will not act.” The chairman: “We want someone who knows his job.” The Clerk then read the following for the information of members: — “The suggestion by a New Zealand judge that motorists should consider speed In terms of feet per second instead of miles per hour is endorsed by the N.R.M.A., which considers that the average driver does not realise the distance covered per second at any given speed. All that is necessary for a driver to calculate his speed per second is to add 50 per cent, to the miles per hour showing on his speedometer, and regard the total as representing approximately the number of feet per second than he is then travelling. For instance, the N.M.R.A., points out, a speed of 30 miles per hour is equivalent to 45 feet per second. As any traffic situation may change within a second, particularly in busy thoroughfares, any driver obviously carries a tremendous responsibility when travelling at a high rate. A pedestrian travelling: at four miles an hour covers six feet per second, so that in that fraction of time he may move from a footpath to almost the middle of the roadway and be struck by a car that was 30 or 40 feet away from him at the time he left the kerb.” Mr Kerr said that he had worked out the speed put up by Sir Malcolm Campbell when he set his record, and he could give a man who could run 100 yards in 10 seconds, 96 yards start over 100 yards and beat him by two feet. Mr G. D. Selbie: “Are we going to get any of the revenue?” The chairman: “You mean from the fines.” Mr Selbie: “Yes.” Mr T. W. Brosnahan: “If they see a man in uniform it will steady them up.” The chairman undertook to go into the matter with the Borough Traffic Inspector.