The Globe. MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1876.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 719, 9 October 1876, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1876.

The necessity which exists for some stringent legislation on the part of the City Council as to the reckless manner in which cabs are driven about our streets, is most strongly brought out by what haß recently occurred. This has before now been matter of comment by üb, and it shows, we think, great laxity on the part of those entrusted with the regulation of these matters, that no steps have been taken ere this to check what has become a positive evil. That cabmen should be allowed to drive round corners at so great a speed as they do in the most crowded thoroughfares of the city, is monstrous. In no other town in New Zealand are they allowed to do so, and we fail to see why they should here. Elsewhere conveyances of all kinds are obliged, under penalty of being fined, to go at a walk round the corners of streets which is the only means of securing safety to to foot passengers. But in Christchurch, not only do the cabmen turn sharply and at full speed into the most frequented streets and where the crossings are generally speaking pretty crowded, but they show a disregard for the lives and limbs of pedestrians, which is little short of criminal. The blame of this rests entirely with the City Council. It is their duty, and theirs alone, to regulate the traffic so as to secure the danger to the public being reduced to a minimum. Anyone who has seen the general stampede almost at racing pace which takes place hourly from any of the stands in the city when a cab is hailed, will agree with us that such a practice is fraught with the greatest possible danger. No one, however careful, would have a i chance of escape if they happened to j be crossing the roadway at these times, i Therefore it is when such things are j matters of everyday occurrence, and \ serious if not fatal accidents arej avoided by a mere chance, that we say the Council are neglecting their duty most culpably in not having taken means to put a stop to the practice we have referred to. In other parts of the colony it is made the rule by law that the first cab on the rank shall, when one is called go out. The rotation is easily arranged by the cabs returning from being hired taking place in their order, so that all may have an equal chance of being employed. By this means the dangerous practice of racing for a fare which now goes on here is prevented. Under the present sytem no one is safe; and it becomes positively dangerous to walk along many of our streets, especially where two or three intersect each other. Every conveyance, no matter of what kind, should be compelled, under a heavy penalty, to go at a walk round the corners of the streets. This precaution is rendered infinitely more necessary here, where from the nature of the roads it is almost impossible to hear a vehicle coming until, it is very close. There is another point to which we would desire to refer—and here too the danger to foot passengers, more especially ladies and children, is very great. Our readers are awase that the Colombo street bridge, over which there is considerable traffic, ia exceedingly narrow. There is barely room for two vehicles to pass, allowing space for foot paasengers, yet it is a matter of daily, almost hourly occurrence, to see two cabs coming in opposite directions at full Bpeed. If it should happen that the horse in either of them were to shy or swerve there would be no possibility of any pedestrian escaping being run over. There have been several narrow escapes, and yet there is no provision to compel drivers crossing at a moderate and safe pace. This, as much as the other points to which we have drawn attention, requires taking up by the City Council, Were a bye-law

passed including the bridges as places over which no vehicle should pass, save at a walk, a very fruitful source of danger would be put an end to. We commend these matters to the serious consideration of the members of the Council, and urge upon them the pressing necessity which exists for an alteration. Once let an example be made of an offender against the byelaw when enacted, and it will act as a most salutary warning to others. We do not wish in any way to refer to the ease of Saturday. That will go before another tribunal, but we cannot help pointing to it as a warning to those in authority to at once set about making such provision as shall prevent the possibility of a like occurrence taking place again.