LONDON'S MOTOR PROBLEM

Evening Star, Issue 22460, 3 October 1936, Page 2

LONDON'S MOTOR PROBLEM

The London County Council, says the ‘ New Statesman,’ has launched a campaign for securing additional precautions against road accidents to school children in the metropolitan area. In certain parts of inner London these accidents have risen alarmingly of late.. Holborn, the most perilous area, has a record of over 12 accidents last year, for every thousand children, and Westminster and Finsbury are not far behind. The accidents include a large number to child cyclists; and it is urged that all cyclists of school age should carry on their cycles a special badge—perhaps the familiar “ L ” —in order to induce motorists to take greater care. This, however, constitutes oniy a small part of the. problem. Another, which is seldom stressed,_ is tho hardship inflicted on mothers in London and other towns who, not daring to send their children to school unattended, are being compelled to take and fetch them to and from school, though_ they are already overburdened with domestio duties. Another aspect of the matter is, of course, that the streets, traditionally the playgrounds of the poorer children, are becoming more and more unsafe, and that the children have in most cases nowhere else to play. It is impossible to check the growth of traffic on tho roads; but the provision of far more playground space, and tho closing of more streets to general motor traffic, are major issues demanding prompt attention from the Government and the local authorities alike.