STREET TRAFFIC
QUESTION OF REGULATION DISCUSSION BY CITY COUNCIL The question of regulating street tmfflo was again discussed at last night's meeting the City Council. The By-laws Committee proposed that the recommendation ottho chief triiiHo inspector that a bvaw bo enacted w. jubiting tho practico of leaving ~ in tho streets with.ong'-s uiiniing bo approved. Councillor J. q. P'lorliuul wanted to know whether aiiytiuiig was being done to regulato tho traffic in tho city. Par too many fatal accidents were occurring and tne thing was going from bad-to worse. Councillor P. Fraser said that something should bo done as quickly as possible as public feeling was being stretched to a breaking point. People ought to have some assurance that human lifo was ueing safeguarded. Councillor R. A. Wright remarked that, in his opinion, tho public should be prevented from crossing tho street just where they liked. In some countries the ponrie wore compelled to cross tiio street at right-angles. .. ..;
Councillor L. M'-Kenrie protested against the "parking" ■ of tram cars ■in dangerous parts of the city, such ns Courtenay Place. It seomed a pity that tne trams were left standing in the r.ost congealed parts of the city. A comprehensive scheme should bo drafted dealing with tho regulation of tho wiiole of the Traffic of tho city. To do the thing properly a larger stiff would lie necessary. The public needed educating on the importance of exercising care in the city.
Councillor 11. P. Luckie said the public, should be trained against tho clanger of crossing tho streets when thore was a great deal of traffic about. A report vas being obtained on tho question regulating street traffic. Tn his opinion the police should- bo asked to take in Hand tho n-.atter of regulating traffic. The pdico wore anxious to <lo this, but at present they wero handicapped by'a shortage of staff. ■ Whoro the- police .-"-ere doing point duty excellent results were being obtained and the system should be ex--tended.
The Mayor (Mr. ,T. P. I.ulce) sr.id he thoiiphh the trams went fnv too f;,st along Courlenay Place. Tho cars-ought lo be siowed down when approaching Tury and Taranaki Streets, Motor-cars should nof be allowed to pass tlur.mjh :wrrow street* tin drivers hnrl Ini.sinws in those thoroiiß-hfares. It was nn absolute dis(jraco that certain narrow streets should nn used by numbers of motoi'-rars simply because the drivers were anxious to Ravo their tyres by running along the wood "Modes.
Councillor Luckio- moved that tho council autliorisn the preparation of a by-law, prohibiting vehicular trnflio in tiie. narrow and congested portions of Lambton Quay, and in Willis, Manners, find Cuba. Streets, unless the drivers of cars linyo business in those streets. Councillor Shorlnnd seconded tho motion.
Councillor J. W. Thomwon doubted whethqr the suggested by-law .vcr.kl lo practicable. j Councillor T;ticlcio said that' all the eenous accidents did not occur in! the congested portions of the city. ' Many accidents hnppsned in the nitlying district.vancl were caused by motorists drivine too fast.
Tho ref/olntion wns carried, Councilor llioinp?/,n being tho only dissentient.
STRINGENT REGULATIONS REQUIRED
\t ben seen yesterday afternoon : n jefspeet to the menace of motor truffle in cur streak Mr. L. S. Drnka raid that motor traffic bad grown ?o rapidly, nml was now so great a feature in the romrosreinl and social life of the people, that stringent regulations were wanted to govern and control it, What was the nse of Wellington jns'stini? on driers having to qualify for n .ticket of efficiency, when cars Miild como' in from nnywhere in tho country and run about the streets without the drivers having n ticket? The traffic hntl grown cnorvnoiisly, and ns it, wns rapid transit traffic compnred with the old liorjc traffic it took nil the more looking nfter. Only recently the By-laws Committee came across an old traffic: regulation, long nijo shelved, relating to "exceptional" traffic. When it wns drafted, twenty or thirty years ago, "exeeptioiiiil" traffic no doubt meant a steam-driven vehicle, but whatever :t was it was barred from lambton Quay, Willis Street, Manners Street, and Cuba Rlreet between the hours of 11 a.m. nnd C.30 p.m. This rogiilniion was in a lino with one that he (Mr, Drake) bad only recently drafted with a view lo keeping all unnecessary lnctor traffic off thi! mid-c'ty streets Hie busy hours. His regulation provided that no motor or horse-drawn vehielp should bo ]iormittod to traverae the streets mentioned between D -a.m. nnd 0,30 p.m. imlcs engaged in delivering or picking up goods in thosa thoroughfares.
Mr. Drake hinted Hint ho know from, lii'g own observation that people <lrovn through these busy, narrow, and ■crowded I thorojisfli fnros in a spirit of "swank," nnd it all meant congestion, and, possibly, accident. .
Another motor inspector stated that "swank" was often a. positive danger. Ho had to stop a car only a .few days ago, because, the driver wns sitting at his wheel in snoli a position that his knees were on a level with his chin, ni'id his head was loaning on the back of Hie. scat. Ho was told that if ho did not eit up properly nnd keep mi alert'look out, he would not be allowed to drive a car in Hie streets of "Wellington at {ill: Tn another wise a young lad, while driving a lights delivery van, was leaning buck and resting one of his legs on tlie top of the w'lirl-scrccn—in Riich a position thnt ho could not nosRibly act quickly in 'an emergency. That la<! was taken before his employer, by the inspector and given a Bound rating. Tin? employer threatened that on the next offence he would lose his job.
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 73, 19 December 1919, Page 9
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945STREET TRAFFIC Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 73, 19 December 1919, Page 9
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