MOTOR TRANSPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 April 1926, Page 1

MOTOR TRANSPORT.

TAXI AVAR IN SYDNEY. SYDNEY, April 1. There is something of a taxi war on in Sydney just now, and as it is one of those few occasion when the public can afford to look cheerful, as far as their pockets are concerned, they are viewing with interest the fortunes of the various companies. The taxis in the city streets now are of almost all the rainbow’s colours. You have your choico of yellow cabs, black and white cabs, chequer cabs, and what-not other cabs, while before long blue cabs and green cabs threaten to give more splashes of colour to tho crowded old city. This, of course, is apart from ihe taxis of all sorts of distinctive colours run by private owners, who must he feeling keenly the extraordinary incursion of rubs controlled by big and wealthy companies, especially as not a few of the small men have probably bought their cars on timepayment. The few hansom-cab drivers who still linger about the streets cut lonely figures. The old clays when they were the aristocracy of the transport service are gone. It only wants a few more taxi companies to come into the business in tho city with cabs of distinctive trade colouring for a few of them to go to the wall, or avoid that catastrophe by a merger. It is estimated that one person in every 23 in New South AARiles owns a motor-car or other motor vehicle. To sec Pitt, street at night, in the neighbourhood of the theatres, with motorears of every hue flanking that narrow thoroughfare for the entire length of several blocks, would leave the impression that not merely one person in

every 23 but everybody in the place owns a motor. Before very long Sydneysiders, like the centipede, will want to lie man-leggeci to escape snfelv the ever-growing stream of motor traffic in their narrow city streets. Till recently the numbers on plates of cars in the State have been five figures. Tb-dav there are cars exceeding 100,000. The Traffic Department is issuing identification numbers at tbe rate of from 700 to 800 a week. This applies only to ordinary private ears, and excludes motor-lorries and taxi-cabs. Incidentally, with the increasing traffic the police, especially the new torment for motorists known as the flying ’light patrol, are exercising greater vigilance. On one day alone recently 145 drivers, charged with various traffic offences, appeared at the Police Court: on another day the magistrate had to cope with a rush of more than 200 cases. Motorists who do not know how to drive their chariots are experiencing a had time in Sydney just now.