HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20254, 24 July 1937, Page 28 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS.

PROBLEMS OF TRAFFIC. CALIFORNIA'S SOLUTION, i CONTROL IN THE CITIES. The successful solution of trafflo problems on a large scale impressed Mr W. O’Callaghan, Hawera, president of the North Island Motor Union, during a visit to the United States I from which he recently returned, i “There are 3,000,000 motor vehicles lin California, which is about half as big again as New Zealand,” said Mr O’Callaghan in an interview with the Taranaki Daily News. “The petrol j consumption for May alone was 145,- ; 000,000 gallons, compared with the 80,000,000 gallons used in New Zealand in a year.” The standard grade of petrol was sold retail there at only 9d a gallon, including 2d lax. Prices had risen considerably and petrol sold at only 5d a gallon a year ago. General hardening in all prices had caused this rise. This and the fact that freight rates had nearly trebled in the past eight months fully accounted for the increased price in New Zealand. “A thing that should astonish New Zealanders,” said Mr O’Callaghan, ‘‘is the faot that although taxation there is only 2d a gallon, compared with 10*d in New Zealand, motorists there are up in arms and are making every effort to force the Government to lower it. Automatlo Light System. “Trafflo control In the cities is excellent and is all done with automatlo lights, which change every 30 seconds. Leading out of Los Angeles all the boulevards have six traffic lanes, each about 15 feet wide. All the main highways have at least four lanes, marked with white lines which zigzag to indicate approaching danger points. “Pedestrians are controlled by lights. On my first day in Los Angeles I kept walking across the street when the lights change'd. ‘Brother I | want to treat you as a white man,” i said the traffic policeman when I ; reached the other side, and he let me j off with a caution.” Although there was a legal speed limit of 45 miles %n hour in California, , most people drove at about 50 miles an hour. A speed of 40 miles an hour was usual in the cities, even across intersections when, of course, the light was with the driver. There was a large number of accidents, a thing almost unavoidable with the congestion. “The courtesy of the drivers greatly impressed me,” added Mr | O’Callaghan. Parking arrangements were excellent and in all parts of Los Angeles ihere were areas, a quarter to half ! an acre in extent, where cars could be parked. A charge was made for this and owners of allotments found it more profitable than building.

LANCASHIRE INVENTOR’B PROGRESS. In a Lancashire mill formerly used for cotton spinning: a young Bury reI search engineer, Mr F. M. Aspin, Is 1 making steady progress with experiI ments that are expected to have a I far-reaching effect on the motor-car i and aircraft industries. ! The Bury Town Council have become seriously Interested in his experimental engines; one has been ordered to be placed in an omnibus chassis and will be given a thorough trial on local omnibus routes. This engine has no valves of the conventional type, and it is claimed that normal maintenance and decabbonisatlon expenses will be completely eliminated. Here is its specification compared with an average omuibus engine : New Average Weight .. 300-350 lbs. 1200 lbs Brake h.p. .. 160-180 110 Capacity . . 44-litre 'B4-lltre Petrol consumption will be flveelghths of that of the average engine. The Inventor has also produoed a single-oyllnder motor-cycle engine, which, at a test bench, has done speeds up to the equivalent of 100 miles per hour, and has done 2000 miles on the roads at speeds up to 75 miles an hour without decarbonisation or mechanical adjustment. It has averaged 150 miles to the gallon.

MAGISTRATE ON MOTORING LAWB. The thiry-third annual luncheon of Ihe 'British Commercial Motor Users’ Association was attended by a very large number of those interested in

the road transport industry. The speech which many of those present appeared to enjoy most was that of Sir Gervais Rentoul, K.C., M.A., He is a metropolitan police i magistrate sitting at West London , Police Court. He regretted the Min- i ister of Transport had been forced to leave, because he wanted to have thanked him for having added so ! much to the Interest, gaiety and variety of a magistrate’s life. Speaking of his experiences as a member of , Parliament, he said he had played a part in dealing with some of the rea- j i sonable sections of the Road Traffic Acts. As a magistrate he had learnt how much easier it was to make laws than to understand them. He indulged 1 in a little fun at the expense of one i of his brothers on the Bench who had advocated the conflso; i ion of motor: • cars, and pointed out how evident It was that some magistrates were not j motorists. Speaking as one who drove a car every day in London, he said it was his experiences tliat the ' standard of driving had Improved , enormously. The chairman replied 1 appropriately to the toast. | j MOST DANGEROUS DRIVING AGE. I What is the most dangerous age for driving a ear? The Procurator-Fiscal, of Dunferm- ; line, Scotland, says the dangerous age |is 2 I. i Young man of that age, lie said, ! when one was being prosecuted for j dangerous driving, were more willing to take risks. An American authority formerly said that the safest driver was 1 he young girl with red hair, between 17 and 25. Yet. though elderly motorists are seldom accused, as a class, of careless driving, when it comes to pedestrians (as well as Ihe dangers that give rise to the saying) it might well prove on close examination that i “ there’s no fool like an old fool.” I

/ FUEL STARVATION. A most annoying trouble which sometimes occurs is fuel starvation, indicated by a gradual dying of the engine. The symptoms are just the same as would apply if the petrol pump had ceased to work. The cause, however, is the evaporation of petrol in the suction pipe, which produces j a vapour lock, and so prevents the pump from drawing more fuel from the tan. The only remedy is to wait for 15 minutes or more until the pipe cools down. Then, If there fs a hand primer on the pump, use this to bring the fuel from the tank, Instead of turning the engine for a long period with the starter motor. A vapour look of this kind Is usually formed at a point where the pipe passes very close to the exhaust. If the trouble Is persistent, It is worth while to have a new pipeline fitted with a greater clearance. GREASING POINTB. In many motor-oars there & number of greasing points In the engine whioh owners sometimes overlook. For example, it is oommon to fit an old-fashioned grease cup to the fan spindle and another to the distributor drive shaft, while small oil holes will be found on the generator and starter motor. The grease oups should be given a complete turn about every thousand miles, and about two drops of light machine oil should be fed into the oil holes on the electrical auxiliaries at the same time. CHANCELIESB ROUTINE. Do you ever run risks? Not necessarily on the road. There are other risks—for lnstanoe In the garage. You take a risk In making an adjustment with olosed doors and the engine running; and when you rev. up a stone-cold engine first thing In the morning. In one case you risk asphyxiating yourself, and in the other you risk serious wear on cylinder bores and big ends, and various other parts before the lubricant has had a reasonable opportunity to circulate. If you take a risk with open eyes, good and well. It Is your own affair, and you must be prepared to accept the’ consequences however unpleasant they may be. But the risks you don’t know about—these are by far the most dangerous. 6PARKB. A Paisley motorist was fined recently for going too slowly. He obstructed a following bus. Solicitor In polfoe court recently: “ Nothing happened. The two oars Just collided and overturhed.”

Soreenwlpers, like any other part of engineering mechanism, are liable occasionally to give out at awkward moments. Not every motorist knows that a piece of raw potato, orange or apple peel rubbed on the surface of the glass will prevent bubbles forming and give muoh Improved visibility. Glasgow Corporation hare asked the Ministry of Transport to take steps to compel pedestrians to obey traffic signals under penalty. “ But what about the liberty of the subjeot? Haven’t pedestrians the right to walk where they like, when they like, and how they like, without looking?” asks the Motor. A doctor's tests for a motorist suspected of being in wine recently were: “ Say West Register Street, do an addition sum, touch the tip of your nose with a finger, put a key in the look and unlock the door, piok up a shilling from the floor, walk along a oorridor, turn and walk back.” A new era in farm life is revealed In the classified advertisements of the American papers. Farmers are now advertising for married men with trailer houses. Hitherto It has been customary to hire either a single farm hand who boarded with the farmer, or a married man, who was provided with a house on the farm.