TRAFFIC CONTROL

Evening Star, Issue 22451, 23 September 1936, Page 9

TRAFFIC CONTROL

INSPECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT Reporting to the City Council for the year ending March 31 last, the chief traffic inspector (Mr H. S. M'Nicholl) states:—The total revenue derived for the period amounted to £11,570, as against £10,786 for the preceding year, an increase of £784. The difference is accounted for mainly by the increase of heavy traffic license fees and motor driving licenses. The congestion caused in the main streets of the city by the indiscriminate parking of motor cars at various angles is still a matter of consideration by the department, and in spite of numerous warnings and a number of prosecutions, this offence appears to be on the increase. _ The question of imposing further restrictions on motor vehiclessdn the main streets appears to be necessary to cope with the position. The offence of speeding is one which the department in some measure has been able to check, owing mainly to the use of a motor car which was purchased during the year. This car has been of very great assistance for patrol work and in collecting overdue heavy traffic fees. These fees are payable in quarterly instalments, and the work entailed in collecting them is very considerable. It is worthy of mention that to date there are no outstanding fees in this class.

In terms of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1933, the local authority is empowered to fix maximum and minimum fares to be charged for the use of taxi cars, and accordingly, representatives of the taxi proprietors met on several occasions in conference with members of the council to discuss this matter. As a result a scale of fares based on the zone system was agreed upon and finally adopted by the council. Later in the year, however, a section of the taxi proprietors approached the council with a request to alter these rates, hut up to the present time nothing further has been done in the matter.