The Motor World

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17461, 12 February 1925, Page 4

The Motor World

KOTES AND NEWS *BY

"RADIATOR”

EUROPEAN TRAFFIC. GREATER SAFETY FOR ROAD USERS. AN AMERICAN’S VIEW. WASHINGTON. December 12. Air Percy Owen, the United States Government’s automobile expert, has just returned to Washington from an inspection of motor and traffic conditions in Europe. Air Owen is the chief of the automotive division of the Department of Commerce and one of the pioneer automobile men of the country, writes Mr F. W. Wile, in the “ Christian Science Monitor.” His findings*, it is believed, will have an important bearing upon the deliberations of the National Conference of Street and Highway Safety, which will assemble in Washington on December 15. at t-he call cf Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce. “ Several European countries,” said Mr Owen to this writer, “have much to teach America in the way of automobile regulation. Tlie two great centres, London and Paris. have effectually settled the parking problem by having none. They adhere to the simple plan that streets and highways are for traffic and not for storage. In London there is no parking at all, except for taxis at fixed spots in the centre of streets. Paris has just begun to experiment with parking on a limited scale in a few .streets. THE ODD-AND-EYEN PLAN. “On odd numbered days of the month cars may park for brief periods on the odd numbered side of the streets; and on even numbered days on the even numbered side. But in neither Paris nor London, nor in any of the nine European countries I visited, does it ever occur to the municipal authorities to let somebody occupy free 80 square feet of street space often for as long a*; he pleases.” Mr Owen was asked concerning road fatalities. “* Of course,” he replied, " there are nothing like the myriads of cars over there that we have. Country driving and touring are relatively unknown. Passenger cars and trucks registered in the United States on Jitlv 1. 1024, totalled 15.523.595. This is about three times as many as there were in all the rest of the world put together. Our potentialities for motor fatalities are therefore immensely greater. But I think there is no doubt that in most European countries there is a far more deeply ingrained respect for law, as applied to motoring, than there is in the United States. That is certainly so in Great Britain. Everybody who has ever visited London knows the awe and reverence in which the London ‘ ‘Bobbie ” is held. There is not a single signal-tower or stop-and-go device visible at any of London’s countless traffic centres. All there is to be seen is the majestic omnipotent and inviolably obeyed “ Bob bie ” with his uplifted or outstretched right arm. Nobody ever jaws him: and the memory of man runneth not so far back that anybody can remember when a “ Bobbie’s ” traffic command was_ unheeded. SEES EFFECTIVE STRIDES. The European automobile industry, Mr Owen thinks, is making effective strides in the direction of helping the world to grapple with the evcr-increas-mg problem by encouraging the development of smaller cars. “The tendency to get away from the large car, and the tendency toward the small car with four-wheel brakes and balloon tyres, represent about as

much as manufacturers can do to .make isafet” in traffic. Smaller cars, too, obviously, will make for relief of the parking situation, if parking in public highways is to persist. In Europe it is recognised that measures for fuller protection' of the public, from the safety standpoint, must be enforced by municipal and police authorities in the fonn of more rigid control and regulation in the larger centres. I need hardly say that the motoring public has its cooperative duty, too, in the shape of consideration for the pedestrian public. European city rulers also are giving thought to the benefits obtainable by traffic by widening streets and narrowing sidewalks.” Mr Owen studied automobile conditions in England. Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, Czecho-Slovakia, Germany, Denmark, and Holland. With the exception of London and Paris, he discovered that not even tlie largest capitals have anything approaching the traffic problem that confronts the average American city of 230,000 population. When Mr Hoover’s automotive expert told an Englishman that tens of thousands of American working men park their own cars in front, of the mills and factories where they are employed, the Englishman thought he was hearing a typical Yankee romance. A European EASIER GEAR CHANGES. LUBIUCATTON NEEDED. Despite all the effort which has been expended to make gears shift more satisfactorily, much trouble is still met from on© cause and another in effecting prompt, noiseless changes. Unless the driven clutch member stops rotating as soon as tho pedal is pushed away forward when a car is being started from rest, it will prove next to impossible to engage low or reverse gears. The main shaft gears are motionless with the car itself, an l if the clutch keeps on “ spinning ” with the flywheel, the countershaft gears will spin also, and meshing a moving gear with a still one is hardly possible. Spinning is almost always caused by failure of the clutch members fully to release. This is generally due to lack of full releasing increment of the pedal and its throw-out mechanism. Re-adjustment- of the pedal and linkage must be made to ensure a disengaging movement adequate to hold the members completely out of contact. LUBRICATION. Abnormal, friction in tho thrustbearing may also bo sufficient to keen tlie driven clutch member spinning, and thus thorough lubrication of this part sometimes proves a cure for difficult meshing of gears at starting. As an expedient, engaging low (or reverse) gears, with the engine at rest and holding the clutch out while the engine 's started enables tlie starting of a car even though its clutch spins persistently. With very viscous compound in the gear housing, and everything cold, shifting may be very difficult and the fores? required to move the sliding gears through the hardened mass of grease may be more than the lever and other parts can transmit, without becoming permanently bent. Unless the lubricant is liquid enough to splash, the slides may get so dry that movement of the sliding gears becomes very difficult-. The utmost- care should be taken, particularly ‘ during the winter, that the lubricant is such that will remain somewhat fluid, evc-n when it is at its coldest. CLUTCH BR A KING. Some clutches embody a clutch brake.

which acts to apply friction to the driven member, when if. is in jtj extreme. disengaged position, and thus stop it from spinning* Tlie clutch brake surfaces may "wear out in time and spinning fake place, which will be indicated by plashing. especially when shifting to a higher gear. Braking action can be restored in* some cases by adjustment and by refacing of parts in others. As the clutch brake acts only vflien the pedal is pushed away forward, it should bo operated thus in changing from a lower to a higher gear. buv. in shifting from a higher to a lower gear, the pedal should not be pushed so far, as tho braking action is not needed under these conditions. The use of a very sticky, ropy lubricant, which clings closely about the transmission gears and absorbs a lot of power in churning it. tends to stop the- clutch and gears from spinning almost instantly upon clutch disengagement, thus acting like a rather violent clutch brake. Instances of unavoidable clashing at shifting are sometimes attributable, to this cause. Making the shift extremely quick may overcome this trouble somewhat, but substitution of a fluid lubricant of a less adhesive character is the real remedy. Smooth changing from a lower to a higher ratio is easy •with the average car. but “slick ” shifts from third to second are difficult to attain except by resort to “double clutching.*’ SOUTH ISLAND ROADS. The following road reports cf the condition of the various main roads yesterday were received by Mr J. S. Ha wkes, secretary *of the Canterbury Automobile Association:CLARENCE RJVER. The ferry is again working. Communicate with ihe secretary - of the CA.A. before leaving Christchurch. DYER S PASS. Tlie road is in good condition on the Governor’s Bar side, where the surface has been rolled. Between the tram terminus and the Kiwi it is now in first-class condition. SELWYN RIVER. The river is now fordable at the Main South Road and at Hororata 'The main road ford is soft, and it is better to go via Ellesmere. BE ALE Y FORD. The river is now fordable. GOVERNORS BAY TO LYTTELTON. "the road is in good condition jn fin© weather, but very muddy after rain. It is loose towards the bottom. CHRISTCHURCH TO LYTTELTON VIA SUMNER. The surface is good, with tlie exceplion of a part of' the Evans'Vass Road on the Sumner side, which is very rough until the Pass is reached. SUMMIT ROAD The road between Okains and Le Bons is now open. LITTLE RIVER. The road is fairly good all the way. j CHRISTCHURCH TO KAIKOUJtA. I Tlie road is fairly good. Stoney Creek, between, “The Elms’’ and I Kowai Bridge, is soft and requires carc. j Motorists approaching Kaikoura at j right should take the bridge over the i Kowai and not the turn to left. LITTLE RIVER TO AKAROA. The metal surface has been blinded with clay, and the road is now in good I order.

j CAMPING GITIY CREEK. | The concrete ford is still in good order. TIMARU TO OAMARU. The rood is in good condition, but is ! very stony as far as »St Andrews.' OAMARU TO DUNEDIN, j *Tbe road is in good condition as far as Palmerston. Take th© road at Waiopposite the Saratoga Hotel, turning to tho right from, the main road. This road arrives at elite Leith Valley, Dunedin, and is much better than the Mount Cargill Road. There is about ;i mile of rough road. This road at j present is very good in fine weather. TO THE RAKAIA GORGE. | Go via Hawkins. Homebush, Glen- ' tunnel, and \ alley Road. The concrete , ford at Camping Gully Creek is in good condition. MAIN SOUTH ROAD. As far as Dunsandel. the road is good. Over the Selwyn tlie road is very bad. On passing the Selwyn be careful to take the track on the west side of the river. The Orari bridge is now , in use again. TO THE HERMITAGE. The best rout© is via Timaru and not I through Cattle Valley. The bridge* at | Tekapo has been repaired. TO W A DDIXGTON. Follow the old West Coast road I CHRISTCHURCH TO SPRINGFIELD ! In view of the fact that the approaches to the Kowai Bridge at Springfield have been washed away, it ha? been decided to re-open the old lord, i A deviation will have to be made to I tho right, where a signpost has been I erected. } CIIRISTCH URCH- AKAR OA. j The road is in good condition. From Kaituna onwards there are some potholes. The hilt surface is greasy la j wet weather. ; GERALDINE—FAIRLIE. j Do not take the Geraldine-Fair!:© > roah, it being impossible. Take the | deviation at Arowhenua via Pleasant I Point. SLIP AT KUMAR A. j The work of deviating the road at the zig-zag in the vicinity of the slip at Kumara is now proceeding apace. ; Given fine weather another few days’ ! work will see the job completed. WAIPARA TO CHEVIOT. Tlie main road from Waipara to j Cheviot is at present in pretty good : order, as is also the road from Waikari ! via ScargilL but motorists should watch i to- occasional deep pot-lioles, some of which might easily break a spring. The road to Motunau beach is in good condition, and motorists might easily take advantage of this and spend a day on x.vhat is known to be one of the safest and best bathing Leaches in New Zealand.