TRAFFIC CONTROL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5369, 28 December 1928, Page 2

TRAFFIC CONTROL.

DOMINION’S SYSTEM CRITICISED. SOME COMPARISONS. “The only* difference I can see, i n the traffic control here and in England,” said a returned Nqw Zealand motorist the other day to a “Dominion” reporter, “is that In Eng* land traffic men are there to help; here they appear to harass.” It is only fair to mention that the person referred to had hear.dl of the method adopted in spme districts of allowing traffic inspectors to their salaries out of fines collected from motorists, which, he contended, was a rather outrageous way of, bripg-i ing about obediienc.e to the law. A case which appeared to bear out the somewhat harsh criticism occurred on Saturday (writes “H.P.”), when a motorist was pulled up by a traffic officer, (a member of the police force) for acting in What he considered to be a reasonable; way under the circum's,tances. The sc.ene was the Junction of Taranaki. Street and Courtney Place. A tram was proceeding westward, followed by a motor car, which naturally pulled up close to the tram when the latter arrived at the compulsory stopping place. When the tram moved forward) the motorist moved forward, only to receive; a “blast” from the officer on point dhty. The admonition from the official was such that the motorist pulled up near the King’s Theatre, left his car there, and .walked back to ask the officer the meaning of. his conduct, as it is just as well to know when one is wrong—and why. The said the motorist had no right to move for-> ward until he got a signail; that, because the tram moved forward) the motorist) who was hidden by the tnam car from the officer, on point duty) had no right to do the same. It will be sepn that this means that though the tram car moves off, motor-cars held up by that stoppage have no right to move at al] until they get a separate and individual signal. This decision s,eemed so remarkable that the aggrieved motorst appealed to a sergeant of the; police, who corroborated what the pointsma.i had said. No car, after being held up, had any right to move forward until an individual signal w«s given. Asked whether he meant an individual signal for each car, the sergeanjt said yes. That was the sergeant’s dicitum. The incident made it clear, however, that the; signal for a tramcar to move forward does not include a car or cars that may be held up by that traincar’s stop, and are proceeding in the same direction. Such traffic regulatibn's. as these engender the criticism referred to above. In. London and in most places l fl England it is true that the traffic may be held up by the wave of a white-gloved hand, but when ithe signal to go is given, it applies to eve|ry driver so 'held up, and not to one only.