I move:—
That in the opinion of Seanad Eireann (1) the present traffic regulations should be more strictly enforced; (2) the law should be amended so as to provide (a) a driving test, (b) power to enforce speed limits in certain areas without public inquiry, (c) rights of pedestrians at certain crossings, (d) clear legal indication as to major and minor roads, (e) limitations on the use of motor horns.
This motion is put down in order to enable the House to discuss a matter which, I think it is generally agreed, is of very great importance. The motion is in two parts. It asks for a more strict enforcement of the present traffic regulations, and it suggests certain amendments of the law; but the motion is not intended to be taken as insisting that the things it contains are things which absolutely must be done. I recognise that this question of traffic control and of the avoidance of casualties to life and limb on the roads is something which calls for the pooling of intelligence and experience. It is a matter which has no political limitations or implications of any kind.
The number of vehicles on the roads whether commercial, private or public has been increasing steadily, and to that has recently been added the tractor with the mechanisation of agriculture. Driving is easier, speeds higher and roads better, and the result is greater danger. I will not worry the House with any figures of casualties but it is well known that they are steadily increasing. There are several interests in this matter—the motorists themselves, cyclists, drivers of other vehicles, and pedestrians. All or nearly all motorists are at some time pedestrians, but it must be remembered in discussing this matter that pedestrians include children, old people, women with perambulators and other classes, including people who can run and who because they can run are likely not to be injured. All these people have rights, but none of them ought to have licence, and their rights should be exercised in relation to other classes.
With regard to the law of the roads I take it that there are really first and foremost the common law, which applies within certain limitations, and the rest is divided between two Ministries. Most of the rules and Orders come from Local Government and some from Justice. Enforcement is entirely a matter for the Department of Justice. The present law so far as I understand it depends on the Act of 1933 and a multitude of Orders made under it. I would like to ask as a query at this point—is there a traffic code? I would like to know whether there is any booklet in which one can find a complete account of the traffic code which is something which ought to be obeyed as distinct entirely from the statutes. There should be these laws and these rules, and as well as that what one might call the rules of common decency, and that, I think, is the law that is most frequently broken on the road. It is quite clear to anybody whether walking or driving that the law is absolutely unknown to a great many road users, or if it is known it is constantly broken.
The motion, before I go into it, omits parking altogether. That seems to be the only part of the law which, in Dublin at any rate, is strictly enforced. Coming to the first part of the motion, the enforcement of the present law, as far as my experience goes, prosecutions for breaches of the law take place mostly after an accident has occurred. I would like to suggest that no improvement can be effected until you have prosecutions and drastic punishments for breaches of the law where no accident has occurred. Let us take for example the traffic lights in Dublin. I take it that the obligation is that one stops before the traffic light and that one gives the road to pedestrians at pedestrian crossings. There are pedestrian crossings at every traffic light. I do not know if I am right in that, but pedestrians certainly make efforts to cross at the traffic lights. What is the position? At every traffic light in this city cyclists are on the pedestrian crossing. Very often they are right out in front. Many cars, including buses, lorries and private cars, are half over the pedestrian crossings; and a great many cars and nearly all cyclists start to cross the road before they get the green light. This very day coming down here to Leinster House at 2.30 a car passed me in Leeson Street racing to get the traffic light. It did not get the light. It went right across the pedestrian crossing. The driver was so impatient he kept on crawling forward until he was half way across the road at the Vincent's Hospital side into Stephen's Green, and he gave no signal. This is, of course, a common thing.
Another common thing here of which nobody seems to take any notice is that cars are parked at the lights. Part of the lights system here is an arrow showing that you can go straight forward. In any case where there is an arrow cyclists never observe it—or perhaps I should put it the other way around; cyclists always observe it, always assume that it is there and always go forward. Two examples which come into my mind mostly are the arrow at Rathmines opposite Castlewood Avenue and the arrow at Harcourt Road. Where there are arrows cyclists assume that they can always go forward.
There is also the question of signals. When one goes to Belfast from here it becomes immediately obvious that you get a great many more signals on the road and in the city than here. Cyclists are often blamed for not giving signals, but on many occasions I have taken the opportunity of watching what happens cyclists when they do give signals at certain road junctions.
My experience for what it is worth is that a great many motorists blow the horn and accelerate when a cyclist puts out his right hand. They regard as absolutely essential that they should pass a cyclist out. There is some explanation for the notion that they ought to give no signal at all. Before we proceed to do any amending of the law we ought to make up our minds as to what we ought to do about these traffic lights and get the present law strictly enforced.
It is against the law for cyclists to go three abreast. Is it against the law for cars to go three abreast? Can C pass out A and B at the same moment? I understand he should not but it is done constantly. If you travel on any particular main road in Dublin to a place like Harold's Cross Bridge, for instance, you will find three lines of traffic coming down, including buses, all keeping fairly steady and behaving very well. On the right of these people comes a motorist. He breaks out from the line, gets in front just out against the red light and finally passes everybody else. A prosecution against a person of that type would be of great assistance in preventing accidents. It is that type of person who causes accidents.
I also understand that it is against the law to pass on a cross-roads within a certain distance of a corner but that is done all the time. A great many of the devices on the roads have no legal significance at all and it seems to me that they accomplish the reverse of what they are intended to do. Take the case of the "winking willie". I do not know whether that has any legal significance but I know what motorists on the Rathgar Road do in regard to the "winking willie" at the corner of Rathgar Road and Frankfurt Avenue. The motorists just blow their horns and accelerate. That is what they do nearly all the time.
It seems to me to be a complete waste of time to paint "Slow" notices on the roads. I stood for 25 minutes at one of these notices situated about 50 yards beyond an intersection. The great majority of drivers simply blew the horn and accelerated The question arises as to what is the present law in connection with the matter. Is there any legal significance to the "winking willies" and the signs on the roads? Do these signs mean anything? I suggest that at the present time they mean little to motorists and still less to cyclists.
I am also told—I am not an authority on this—that a motor-car is supposed to have lights of equal size and intensity, but when one travels at night one frequently meets cars which have a big bright light on the right-hand side and a small weak light on the left-hand side. That is very disconcerting. A great many motor-cars have only one light. There certainly should be some rule about that.