Listen to episode 164 of The Adelaide Show podcast, which was published October 12, 2016, to find out which story is fake. This week’s pieces covers cars in Adelaide.
Adelaide A City Of Motor Cars
Chronicle November 1945
The effects of the 24-hour transport stoppage on industry and activities in the city on Monday were worse than had been expected Absenteeism at many factories was surprisingly high. Adelaide was a city of motor cars. Every car owner who had sufficient petrol drove to work Main city streets were lined with parked vehicles, and space in car parks was at a premium Many owners had to walk as much as a mile from where they had parked their cars With the big increase in traffic on city streets, additional police constables were stationed at vital points. It was stated at police headquarters that although the number of vehicles on the road seemed manageable, Adelaide drivers were simply not used to this amount of traffic. Police were extremely busy late into the night dealing with accidents from the congested roads.
The Speed Limit
The Register October 1913
At the annual meeting of the Automobile Association of South Australia, which was held on Monday night at Jackman’s Cafe, King William street Dr. Gunson in moving the adoption of the Secretary’s report, spoke in condemnatory terms of the provision in the Motor Vehicles Act, which limited the speed of automobiles to 15 miles an hour. I am sure that his remarks —a full report of which was published in The Register on Tuesday— will meet with the approval of all motorists. The Act as it stands is obsolete, and prevents a person from making use of a speedy vehicle which he has purchased for convenience in getting from place to place, and practically nullifies any advantages that he hoped to gain, in the matter of saving time. The latest farce, that of compelling motor drivers to slow down their machines to six miles an hour when crossing street intersections or turning corners, is the last straw. Is there any person in Adelaide, or anywhere else for the matter of that, who can accurately judge the pace of a motor when it is rounding a corner? I very much doubt it. Why should only motor vehicles be thus hedged around with farcical regulations, which only tend to bring about confusion? Horse drawn vehicles can practically do as they please, and the drivers of electric tramcars can send their cars along at any pace they choose. If this is justice, what is injustice?
Traffic Light Problem
News January 1938
Drivers Confused Criticism of the operation of the automobile traffic lights in King William street was made in motoring circles today following the complaint of a reader in a letter to “The News” yesterday that 46 more drivers had been fined for driving against the signals. The correspondent held that a motorist who approached the crossing at about 25 m.p.h. and received the amber warning a few yards from the line should be permitted to continue. This view however, is not supported by all motorists. Some hold that drivers should not be allowed to continue over the Intersection unless they are actually on the line. It is generally admitted that there is still a great deal of confusion among motorists and close observers of the traffic light system say that the only solution is to abolish the 2 light system :so that when the amber light flashes the green should go out.