"AHEAD OF THEM."

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16711, 29 January 1926, Page 8

"AHEAD OF THEM."

TRAFFIC IN SYDNEY. INSPECTOR'S IMPRESSIONS. "There is no work for Sydney City employees on Saturday now. They* work their 44 hours on five days of the week." This is one of the first things that the city's chief traffic inspector (Mr 11. Macintosh) told a representative of the Christchurch Press when he returned from a holiday trip to N,ew South Wales. Though on a health trip. Mr Macintosh had his eyes about him, and he was able to give some impressions about traffic problems and regulations on the other side.

He had a letter of introduction from the Christchurch Mayor to the Lord Mayor of Sydney, and in an interview, at which several municipal officers were present, questions of moment, like methods of street widening and 'bus traffic, were discussed at length. "There are plenty of traffic regulations in Sydney, but the traffic seems to have got ahead of the authorities," he said. ."Some of the streets are so narrow that the constable controlling the traffic cannot stand in the (centre of an intersection, but he has to remain at the side, in a much less commanding position. However, they are making enormous progress with the widening of the streets and the straightening out of the bends, many buildings 7>eing brought down in the process. All this trouble is avoided here because the pioneers had the foresight to make Christchurch a square town."

"Park as You Please."

"As to the parking of cars, there is no lack of regulations, 1/ut the car drivers seem to do as they likcl Notices in the streets declare that cars must not be parked there, .yet I have seen heaps of motors along those streets, facing all ways and left at all angles. No decisive steps seem to be taken to stop the offence, although there were a few Court cases. What I saw made me realise that the motorists of Christchurch are extremely fortunate in having plenty of room in the street's for parking, not garaging." Car thieving went on at a great rate, Mr Macintosh stated, but no special precautions seemed to be taken, except that owners took the usual step of, removing the keys. Superintendent Turbct. the chief of the traffic police of the city, was considering the tightening up of the "Keep to * the left" rule of the road. At present cars might cross the road and stop on the right-hand side. "New taxi-meters arc being introduced into Sydney," continued Mr Macintosh, "and they seem to be excellent machines. They are bf American manufacture and they work on a sort of cash-register plan. At the end of the journey a handle is turned, a gong rings, and the 'fare' is presented with a printed receipt which shows the mileage, time of waiting, and amount to be paid. There can be no argument, and no mistake. The driver sets'the machine working when the passenger gets in. The agents for the taxi-meter will probably bring it to New Zealand when it is established on the other side. A counterfoil is printed in the machine for the information of the proprietor, who has a master key. A complete tally is thus kept of the day's work." The leniency exhibited toward, motor drivers who knocked down pedestrians struck Mr Macintosh. "Knocking down and killing seems to be looked on in the Courts as an everyday offence," he said. "In one case a motorist had knocked down a woman and the prosecuting inspector said to the Magistrate, 'Well, it is his first offence 1' The motorist was convicted and fined £'l and 5s costs. Of the total of 021 violent deaths.last year, motor vehicles caused the loss of 109 persons, a big increase on other years.

Motor 'Bus Control. "There is strict supervision of the motor 'bus services and any driver discovered starting late, or arriving late, is brought before the Court and invariably fined 5s and 5s costs. The 'buses have to run strictly to timetable, and to route. If there are more than four vehicles on a route the company must have two reserves. Overcrowding is very prevalent, and at rush hours it is the regular thing. Action against the owners is taken in very few cases, and when it is the standard fine of Ms a head' for tlie surplus passengers is imposed. There are many routes, some, v of them extending t,o nine miles, at the maximum fare of Gd. Smoking on the 'buses is strictly prohibited. Most of them arc on solid tyres, and though they are improving, very few arc as good; as the local 'buses. , All carry conductors." \

Information about the present system under which motor vehicle taxes are collected was given by Mr Macintosh. "Where a vehicle has pneumatic, semi-pneumatic, or super-re-silient tyres, the following charges are made per annum," he said. "Motor lorry 2s 9d per half-cwt of its weight, with one-half of that rale to the farmer who earls his own produce in his lorry; private motor cars 2s 9d per half-cwt of weight, motor 'buses 4s 3d per half-cwt. Motor 'buses on non-pneumatic or solid tyres are charged 5s Gd per half-cwt. Motorcyclists have to pay 22s Gd per year for solo machines, and £2 for cycles with sidp-cars. Trailers cost 3s Gd per half-cwt of their weight. Any vehicle manufactured wholly in the British Empire carries a discount of Gd per half-cwt, and ambulances are exempt." , Working on the basis of those figures, Mr Macintosh said that a Ford car weighing 16 cwt would cost £i Ss in New South Wales, while in New Zealand it would cost a fiat rale of £2 besides the indirect tyre lax. A motor 'bus weighing five tons would be charged £42 10s in Sydney, and a Hudson car weighing 36 cwt would cost its owner £9 18s there. Taxis paid an extra vehicles' charge. The traffic authorities were thinking of altering the system of" identification plates, and they were collecting information on the subject. At present the authorities supplied the rear plate on registration, and the owner was expected to supply a number plate himself for the front of his car. As-a matter of fact on 50 per cent of the cars there were no front marks whatever.

Mr Macintosh considered that the test for motor drivers in Sydney was not nearly as thorough as the Christchurch one. However, the Sydney applicant had to pass an eyesight test, which was a good plan.