Student calls for "sit-in"

By Barrie Saunders

Victoria Student Mike Hirschfeld plans a student sit-in on the Kelburn parade-Salamanca road intersection.

Mr. Hirschfeld, who was on executive for a short time last year as Social Controller, played an active part in the "Student Action" protests of 1965.

"A sit-in," he says, "would be necessary should the City Council decide once more against a pedestrian crossing on the intersection."

First he intends forcing executive into writing to the City Council requesting action.

If the council should decide unfavourably he intends to call upon students to take part in a sit-in.

Mr. Hirschfeld envisages blocking for perhaps an hour all traffic which attempts to pass through the intersection on one unspecified day of the week.

If this "sit-in" should initially fall to bring a favourable response from the City Council it would be repeated in subsequent weeks.

Mr. Hirschfeld says this type of action has been successful in two Australian universities which had similar problems.

At Sydney University last year hundreds of students stalled traffic when they sat down in the middle of the road.

While television cameras and press representatives recorded the scene, police pleaded with the students to leave.

Very shortly after this incident a crossing was provided.

Since 1949 there have been eight accidents involving pedestrians, three of them serious, on this corner. There have been no fatal accidents in the area.

In addition to these figures, supplied by the Wellington City Council's Traffic Department, a number of students have had narrow escapes from injury.

Past executives of the students' association have been fully aware of the dangers of the corner.

In 1961 they wrote to the City Council suggesting sites for a pedestrian crossing or crossings.

The town clerk replied in a letter which said: "The traffic committee of the council has declined to recommend the council to approve your suggestion because in neither case is the position suitable for a crossing."

Students have regularly painted in a crossing us a capping stunt each year in an attempt to draw public attention to the matter.

The University Council, which was also approached by the students' association, appreciates the situation and has been in consultation with the traffic department and the City Council over the last six months.

At the moment the University architects are investigating the possibility of an over bridge.

Exactly where the bridge would go is a matter of speculation. It would need to be placed where it would be most fully used, and this is the problem facing the architects.

According to the university administration spokesman the University Grants Committee would be approached for finance for the planned overbridge.

Although the Grants Committee determines capital expenditure on universities it is questionable whether an overbridge could be financed from these funds.

Salient approached a person with some experience of Road Safety work

He said that the scheme, which appeared the most attractive at first sight, would include the erection of a safety island in the middle of the intersection.

"A pedestrian crossing could then cross the road from this island," he said.