Heavy Traffic Should Be Diverted Police Chief
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'THROUGH lorry traffic was being diverted from the city centres on the 1 Continent with considerable success, and there was no reason why this should not be done to a greater extent in Britain, said Mr. W. J. H. Palfrey, Assistant Chief Constable of Lancashire, when he addressed the National Road Safety Congress at Southport last week. The Congress was organized by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, and over 1,000 delegates were present.
One of the greatest delays to traffic at peak periods were roundabouts, confnucd Mr. Palfrey, as they caused a serious obstruction and considerably hampered the work of the police.
Unfortunately there were varying degrees of road lighting and many drivers made a habit of turning off their headlights 'immediately upon entering a lighted area, irrespective of the efficiency of the street lighting. This was causing far too many accidents. His advice was always to drive on dipped headlights unless the lighting was exceptionally brilliant.
There was a growing practice amongst lorry drivers of signalling either with their headlights, with their tail lights, or with both. Flashing headlights were useful at night to indicate one's presence at cross roads or bad bends, but lorry drivers sometimes used their lights to indicate that it was safe to overtake or. equally, that it was dangerous.
This could be confusing to other road users and should be discouraged. Mr. Palfrey said that he placed the longdistance heavy lorry driver as the best on the roads.
Discussions were also heard regarding parking, priority at cross roads, safety belts, speed limits and the employment of more full-time Road Safety Officers_ The Congress concluded with an address by Professor G. C. Drew, M.A., of the University of London, on "Fitness to Drive."
Mr. H. Bottomley, general manager of Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., opposed the proposal that seat belts should be used in p.s.v.s. He suggested that buses were the safest form of transport there was.
NEW B.R.S. PARCELS SERVICES D.R.S. (PARCELS), LTD., last Monday 1-1 extended their parcels and smalls services in Yorkshire operating from the existing British Road Services depot at Lawrence Street, York.
The extension provides collection and delivery services to several places previously covered by Leeds and Hull parcels depots and also introduces new services over a wider territory.
A new depot at Abergele in North Wales commenced operations on the same day to provide new and improved services throughout Caernarvon, Denbigh and Anglesey. This Will be linked with the national network of B.R.S. parcels services, initially through the Liverpool Branch, and direct trunk services to other main centres will be developed progressively.