TRAFFIC ON RACE DAY.

Shannon News, 18 November 1927, Page 1

TRAFFIC ON RACE DAY.

INSPECTOR APPOINTED FOE COUNTY ROAD. The Levin Racing Club applied by letter to' the County Council on Saturday for permission to exclude the parking of! cars and other vehicles on»the County Road in .front of the Racecourse' on Saturday next, the occasion of the annual race-meeting. The area would bo from the junction of Tiro Tiro Road with Mako' Mako Road westward to the western boundary of the Racecourse property. The letter gave rise to rather an entertaining discussion. '' Wo do get placed in some diflicvilt positions sometimes, ,,: said the .chairman. "Requests are made to us, and probably the authors of them do not know where tht-y will lead. I do not think,we have any by-law that we can enforce on any road whereby people cannot reasonably park their cars. If we had, and I, wanted to go into a person's"house, I might be quite unable to park my car " He added that last year the Racing Club asked the Council, to undertake the responsibility of seeing that cars were parked in a per manner; if the Cpuneil did again what they had done, in posting an inspector, to control the traffic, they would be doing all that'was required, he thought. H 3 moved that a traffic controller be appointed by the Council fo'r race day. Cr. Catley seconded the motion. Cr. Jensen saffl he Avas present at the last race meeting, When there was some dispute' over the presence of a traffic inspector. It appeared to him now that the Racing Club wanted all the cars that they could get into the grounds.

Cr. Kilsby: That is the point. I The Chairman: I don't know anything about that, i Cr. Jensen: Some people were very !'sore -over tin way the inspector parked the ears Under our jurisdiction at the I last race meeting. The Chairman: What were you doing at the races? (Laughter). /

Cr. Jensen: I,don't know that I did much harm, but I happened to be there —it was a fine day. Cr. Jensen moved, as an amendment, that the Council take no action in'this matter.

Cr. Ryder said that all classes -of sport had to be patronised, -and he moved, a. further amendment—namely, that it be left to the members for the riding to meet the secretary of the Racing Club and come to an amicable agreement. Cr. Jensen's .amendment did not find a seconder. The Chairman asked Cr. Ryder wlrat he had in view.

Cr. Ryder; To reach an amicable settlement, with no bitterness. The Chairman: Why should there be' any bitterness?

Cr. Ryder :„ Suppose the same thing were applied for bv' the Otaki Club. We should have to give way, • flicre being no room to park the cars. 1 know that the Racing Club don't.,want them parked on the kerb. " The Chairman: Why don't they?

Cr. Ryder: Because the people would be making use of the races for sport and not paying for it. The Chairman: They cannot go in without paying. Cr. Ryder: They leave their ears on the road.

Cr. Bryant seconded the amendment

. Or. Catley stated that the Racing Club had ma&o a kindred application tc the Borough Council, which had agreed to the parking rf cars on race day on a portion of Ma.ko Mako Road. The road in the present ca.se was a boundary road. He was in favour of the parking without supervision.

Cr. Jensen: L would like to mention again that there was some very unpleasant talk last year.

The Chairman: Wc don't want to know about that.

Cr. Jensen: They are asking us to do it again. , ■ The Chairman: We have a very good man who could go down and control that traffic.

Cr. Jensen: That is not what they vant.

' The Chairman: We have got to do 31 for the safety of the public and see that there is no obstruction on the road.

Cr. Barber: It might be advisable to have a policeman there.

The amendment was lost on the voices, and the chairman's motion was carried,vwith the addition that the County Ranger (Mr Geo. Watson) be appointed inspector for the day.

The chairman remarked that, even if every car went into the grounds, it might be well for tlvt Council -to have a traffic inspector on the road.