ROAD SIGNS ARE MODELS OF CLARITY

Chronicle (Levin), 20 August 1947, Page 5

ROAD SIGNS ARE MODELS OF CLARITY

Press Association)

(Pe.r

wellington, August Eoad signs in New Zealand ari-, models of clarity. They are not beitered anywhere in the world. This is the opinion of Mr. Leon Trout, president of the Australian Automoliile Association, who is visiting Wellington. Mr. Trout said toniglu that the black and yellow signposting throughout the Dominion was ten years ahead of that in Australia. The nigh. signs on New Zealand roads were puperior to-those m Britain and Uniteu States. JMueh of the excellence, he said lav in the fact that they were standard ised road signs. In the Commonwealth they varied from state to state. Thi-. lack of nniformity often puzzled motor ists on long journeys. New Zealand signs were, in addition, fuliv informative and' ideally place-i The bare niention of "danger" 0:1 some Australian signs did not convey i.iuch and often caused too little or too much apprehension. ' Either excess could !ead to accidents. Australia, said Mr. Trout, was much cqncerned about its road fatality rat.e which was the second highest in the world. From 1930 to 1946, 346,000 people had been killed or seriously in jured in traffic accidents. To olfsec tliis highway menace, the Australian Automobile Association had this year isked the Eederal Government for j £100,000 out of road taxes to conduct road safetv canipaigns. Mr. Trout saiu .my safety campaign should coordinate remedial measures for road defects anu a general education of road users. Tht majority of city streets in both Australia and New Zealand were not wide enough. A systeni of deeentralised parking was the immediate answer to street traffic c-ongestion but future town planning would have to cater foi wider thoroughfares. The visitor was also impressed bv New Zealand sites for caravans. He thought before long there would be a large volume of trans-Tasman tourisi traffic which would undertake fishinjj expeditions in the. Dominion by earu van.