H.—4o

The Committee feels that, with this item of the cost substantially reduced, local authorities would be encouraged to proceed with the installation of lighting where it would otherwise be financially impossible. It is pointed out that at present the use of this type of equipment in New Zealand is very limited, and there would thus be very little loss to the Government in revenue. Financial Responsibility tor Lighting. The highways which would come within the scope of the lighting proposals are in general of a national character, and their illumination is a question vitally affecting all road-users. It is manifestly impossible for many of the small local authorities to finance wholly such a system of modern lighting as is proposed, and if left to shoulder this responsibility the probable result would be no lighting, or a poor lighting system which is proved to be frequently productive of greater hazards than no lighting. It is consequently the opinion of the Committee that this facility should be provided mainly by the Government. Only a comparatively small contribution —say, to the extent of their present expenditure on lighting—should be made by the local authorities through whose districts the arterial road passes. Lighting of City and Municipal Streets. While this phase of the lighting question is possibly not strictly within the province of this Committee, it is considered desirable for purposes of road safety to urge that every endeavour be made to provide an adequate standard of street-lighting. The Committee recommends that street-lighting be generally improved to a standard at least equal to that proposed for highways, and that the order of precedence be largely determined by the volume of traffic carried by the streets. Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations. (1) That the night-accident hazard is five times as great as during daylight and that the obvious reason for this is the lack of adequate " seeing ability." (2) That the only satisfactory means of providing adequate visibility and reducing the heavy night-accident rate on the highways is by a properly designed system of artificial illumination. (3) That highways where the traffic exceeds 2,500 motor-vehicles in twenty-four hours should be illuminated at night. _ (4) That wherever possible other highways carrying a very large volume of traffic or where the night-accident rate is heavy should similarly be illuminated. (5) That the most suitable type of lighting on highways outside of shopping areas appears to be the sodium type of electric gaseous-discharge lamp. _ _ _ (6) That the minimum standard of illumination required is such as would permit safety in driving at a reasonable speed without using headlights. (7) That this standard may be achieved with a minimum of 100 watt sodium lamps spaced at thirty-five to forty lamps per mile. (8) That the cost of installation of such lighting would be £600 to £800 per mile, and the animal charges £200 to £300 per mile. (9) That lighting is unnecessary later than 12.30 a.m. (10) That the duty on gaseous-discharge lamps and fittings for highway and street-lighting should be removed. . . (11) The Committee's recommendation would mean a capital expenditure of approximately £12,000 and an annual expenditure of £3,200. (12) That the cities and other municipalities be urged to provide street-lighting of a minimum standard equal to that proposed for highways, and that the major traffic streets be considered first. G. L. Laurenson, Chairman. [Adopted by the Council.] ROAD CONDITIONS. I have to report that the Road Conditions Committee, after studying available data regarding accidents where faulty road conditions were a contributory factor, has framed certain recommendations for the consideration of the Council. It will be seen that these recommendations refer mainly to a number of existing road hazards to which it is felt that the attention of road-controlling authorities should be drawn, and also to the respective remedial measures which the Committee is of the opinion should be taken to lessen of remove these hazards. . It is suggested that the Council should recommend that the Minister circularize the local authorities regarding these matters. The recommendations are as follows: — ■ .. (1) Protective Fences. —In view of the comparatively large proportion of " over-rhe-bank accidents, it is strongly recommended that a suitable form of protective fence be provided at such bends and other places on hill roads where the consequences of a vehicle leaving the road might be serious. These fences should have white posts and should, furthermore, be of a design approved by the Main Highways Board. The Main Highways Board has estimated the cost of fencing in necessary places on the highway system at £80,000. The Committee suggests that the Board be approached with a view to expending £20,000 annually on this work during the next four years. *

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