Passing Comments
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More Kerb Drill Wanted
PPARENTLY the training usually given at sckools on the subject of road accidents and their prevention, • does not always take root. Not long ago, one of our readers was taking a blind turn off a main road, where, incidentally, excavations for drainage had narrowed the near-side pavement to some 18 in. Fortunately he was proceeding cautiously, otherwise he might easily have injured three small girls who were sitting in a row on the kerb, close to the corner, with their legs stretched out across the gutter into the road.
Warning to Traffic-light Jumpers
WHAT is it that tempts drivers of many types to "shoot the lights "? Unfortunately this seems to be an increasing practice and one fraught with much danger, not only to those guilty but also to the
innocent. • Possibly the answer is the irritation caused to drivers in congested traffic, but this is not always the case, as many instances have been noted where vehicles were few.
Only a day or two ago, in London, a member of the staff of this journal was in a bus which was at least a third over a main crossing when a motorcycle and sidecar swept across its front and the occupants were saved from annihilation only by the
B6 rapid reaction of the bus driver, with uncomfortable results for his passengers. Perhaps it is as well that the driver had little time to make comment before the outfit had vanished!
Bus drivers themselves are not always guiltless in their "respect " of such crossings, but there are so few police around that it is exceptional for a delinquent to be caught. In the main, however, these men have excellent accident-free records and are loath to sully them.
Hydraulic Platform Makes Good
INCREASING use is being made of the Simon 'Hydraulic Platform in the renovation of buildings and other equipment. It is claimed that its use halves the time taken and the cost, whilst the work is greatly facilitated. The main feature is that no scaffolding, slings or ladders are required. The Platform is also of service for inspecting roofs and guttering for possible leakages or blockages.
Recently, we referred to the interesting hire service by which this equipment, which operates at either 30 ft. or 40 ft., can be obtained by the hour, or up to a month, from the manufacturers, Simon Engineering (Midlands), Ltd., Queen's Cross, Dudley, Worcs. The Platform can be fitted to almost any existing 5-ton long-wheelbase chassis. All new chassis become free from purchase tax if thus equipped.
Views from the Anonymous
FROM time to time anonymous communications arrive at the C.M. offices; mostly they contain criticisms, either of persons or products, but whatever these are, they are assigned to the w.p.b.
This journal has a rooted objection to critics who do not possess the courage to give their names. Perhaps the writers do not realize that correspondence is treated as confidential if this request is made, and there is usually no objection to a nomde-plume being employed with a letter for publication if so desired_ Not all such communications can, however, be published in full or even part for the simple reason that the limitations imposed by the law concerning damage and libel must be remembered. Occasionally the language in which letters are couched is so strong as to startle even those seasoned by years of editing, but this does not apply only to those arriving anonymously.
It is, perhaps, as well to add that such remarks seldom apply to this journal but mainly concern the particular government in office at the time, ministries, official bodies and, less frequently, employers.
Resurfacing Without Recrimination
A S the act of resurfacing a road is usually taken as r-k a signal for sundry organizations to start digging holes in it, the action of Ealing Borough Council is to be commended. Prior to inviting tenders for resurfacing the length of the Uxbridge Road which runs through Ealing, the authorities responsible for the various services which lie beneath the surface were asked to carry out any maintenance work that was contemplated, A new telephone cable has been laid and the gas main inspected for leaks and suitable repairs carried out.
The series of holes needed for these operations has now been filled in and sealed and the new surface is being applied. The Council's aim in taking this course of action is to ensure that the new surface lasts as long as the one it replaces. This was put down 20 years ago, when wood blocks were replaced.
As mentioned before in this journal it is to be hoped that roads of the future will be provided with special channels to avoid the use of the road surface as a tomb • for the various public services buried beneath it.