Motor By-Laws

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XXIV, Issue 426, 16 March 1921, Page 1

Motor By-Laws

UNIFORMITY DESIRED

"With a view' to securing uniformity between the different local bodies in regard to by-laws regulating- motor traffic, and to adopt •by-laws that would be considered reasonable in any court of justice, the Ellesmere County Council recently wrote to the Canterbury Automobile Association and the Southbridge Town Board, soliciting their co-operation. Replies were received at the meeting of the council-.on Monday. Southbridge- Town Board adviftifcd that they were'quite willing to co-operate with the council in framing by-laws regulating motor traffic and suggested a. speed limit through the Southbridge township of 15 miles per hour. Mr F. W. Johnston wrote as follows :—Your letter to the secretary of the Canterbury Automobile Association has been handed to me as chairman of the by-laws and legal committee. We shall be most happy.to assist your council, ■ but as all the members of my committee are lawyers, we must be careful that, in assisting the county, we do not go beyond the bounds of professional etiquette and. invade the province" of your county solici tor. If you. will give us an idea of the' particular matters upon which you would like our advice as motor experts, in order to have any such suggestions considered and included in any' proposed bylaw, we shall be happy to give our views. Any suggested speed limits should be as elastic, as possible, as if any hard and fast limits are fixed for the "whole county, they will be open to objection in the court. , Reasonable speed limits, varying according to the locality and place, should be fixed. The chairman said that the object was to secure uniformity and to have by-laws that the court would consider reasonable. It sometimes happened that the court considered by-laws, unreasonable and dismissed informations. laid under them. They should not imipose ridiculously low speed limits, but traffic should be strictly regulated at certain corner^-and in places where there was a good deal of traffic. He thought they should fix a limit on open clear roads of 25 miles' per hour.. It was up to the Automobile Association to have a set of model by-laws. It would be a good thing to. have representatives of the County Council and Town Board meet the by-laws committee of the Automobile Association Cr. Free moved that the council suggest a speed limit of 15 miles per hour at certain dangerous corners or in places where the vre was a good deal of traffic. The chairman, Cr. Rennie and the clerk avcto appointed the council's representatives to confer with the by-laws committee of the Automobile Association, and it was decided to ask the Southbridge.Town Board to appoint representatives: