SAFETY ZONES IN CITY
PROVISION AT TRAM STOPS With the exception of the Arcade and Town Hall stops, safety zones for tram passengers are to be provided at pedestrian crossings in the city area where trams stop to set down or pick up Passengers. This was decided by the City Council at its meeting last night on the recommendation of the city traffic inspector (Mr E. Stopford). The provision of the zones, it was stated, was m the nature of an experiment and was not quite in accordance with the satety zone regulations. However, it was suggested that if the zones were a success an application should be made to the Minister of Transport to make them permanent. The traffic inspector, in the course of his report, stated that for some time past trams had been stopping in Dee and Tay streets near or on pedestrian crossings. The system worked fairly well with outward bound trams, but those inward bound blocked half the intersection when they stopped. Thus other traffic was obstructed and forced on to the wrong side of the intersection. To avoid this stopping on intersections he recommended safety zones. Cr W. H. Boyes said he did not think the zones were necessary as the trams stopped only for a short period. Cr G. Hewton said that the stopping of trams across an intersection did interfere with traffic. “CONTRARY TO LAW”
Cr G. J. Reed said that the establishment of such zones would be contrary to law and he thought that before anything was done the opinion of the city solicitor should be obtained. If a pedestrian was knocked down on one of the zones he might have a claim against the council. He moved as an amendment that the matter be referred to the city solicitor before anything was Cr T. Pryde seconded the amendment. Cr A. Scott, chairman of the Works Committee, said he had no objection to the matter being referred to the city solicitor if the majority of the councillors favoured that step. Cr R. T. Parsons said that the zones would be only experimental. In the meantime the traffic inspector would get in touch with the authorities in Wellington. The amendment was lost and a motion authorizing the safety zones was carried. Crs Reed, Pryde, Boyes and F A Webb voted for the amendment. The Works Committee reported that the Georgetown tram at present stopped at the intersection of Pomona and Centre streets, thus creating a danger to traffic. It was accordingly decided to ask the Trading Committee to consider the possibility of stopping the Georgetown tram one car length north of the terminus. \
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Southland Times, Issue 24826, 19 August 1942, Page 4
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441SAFETY ZONES IN CITY Southland Times, Issue 24826, 19 August 1942, Page 4
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