11 DECEMBER 1926, Page 3

The London County Council wisely proposes to call a public

conference to consider the causes of street accidents and the remedy. The Council points out bow terribly street accidents have increased with the development of motor traffic. The very familiarity of masses of motor vehicles moving fast has bred in pedes. trians a kind of contempt. They take risks and they even enjoy taking them. The response of the motor driver is to run things very fine on the assumption that the Londoner knows perfectly well how to judge speed and distance. The margin is so small that there is sometimes no margin left at all. "One way" traffic has, of course, increased the accidents, as strangers in particular are in danger of being struck by a car coming from an unexpected direction. Perhaps in the end pedestrians will have to be forbidden from crossing the streets casually just as they are forbidden to cross railways casually. There may be fixed crossing places and signals of " all clear " at the right moment. Such expedients may serve until there are underground and overhead pathways throughout the London of the future. * * * *