PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13814, 19 July 1918, Page 6

PUBLIC OPINION

As expressed by correspondents, whose letters are welcome, but lor wiiooe views we i)*™ no reaiKJUtubihty. ROADS AND TRAFFIC. (To'the Editor.) —The had state of the roads is a source of worry and anxiety to members of the various County Councils, equally as well as to those who are unfortunate to have to travel on the same. I notice in the report of the proceedings of the last meeting of the Waipa County Council that the engineer stressed the fact that the motor traffic was responsible for the very had condition in which a good many of the unmetalled roads were in consequent on the bad weather. The strange thing, to my mind, is that the majority of the members of the Council. in an endeavour to help things somewhat, passed a resolution limiting the load to be carried by a farmer or teamster to one ton on unmetalled roads, and two tons on metalled. Why this penalising? Why not penalise those that the Engineer states is the cause of most of the trouble ? If I have to go two journeys over a road, say for li tons of manure, will not that do more damage than one journey, and bring the whole amount? And what is a person to do that starts out, say, from Hamilton,, with a two-ton load, and when hp gets out several miles, comes to an unmetalled portion? No doubt these matters were looked into, hut seeing that less than a year ago the Council adopted certain by-laws regulating the load according to the width of tyre there does not seem any reason or sense in surh a drastic resolution a» just made. Were those by-laws rescinded, or are there now two rules applying to the same thing, and for the same periods? If it is so easy to pass a resolution in order to restrict traffic, would it not be as easy to pass a bylaw in reference to motor cars? And common sense will show to anyone that a two-ton load, travelling at, say, three mils an hour, will not do half the damage that an ordinary car does on a muddy road, trying to get through at. say, eight to ten miles. The big channels left by passing cars are everywhoie to be seen, and in this respect the engineer is right; but seeing that motor cars and traffic have come to stay., and that it will take considerable time before the ''Good Roads Association" lias completed its programme, let the Council seek to lessen as much as possible during the winter months this class of traffic, and I make the suggestion that the resolution lie, "That during the months stated, it shall not be permissable for cars to put chains on the wheels." Nothing unreasonable in this. It might be said otherwise, hut instead of cutting up the roads as they are. and then ultimately to bo impassable, it would allow travelling to he done, when a few fine days did coine, and when the winter was over the roads would not have to be practically re-made. But it is rather strange that. \'e who are rated in order to have decent loach in tho winter time should be practically told to stop our legitimate traffic. Evidently, with all our spending we are getting very little further ahead. For future use, I trust :.hat tho council will give ir.y suggestion favourable consideration, which is cortamlv not as drastic as Hie lesolution stopping flax carting altogether —r am, etc., "VERY MUCH CONCERNED."