NOVEMBER 18, 1963. Pedestrians cross a rain-slicked street in Glasgow city centre. A markedly everyday event, to be sure, but for some reason, a photographer is present. The reason was that Glasgow had introduced, the previous day, a one-way system covering four-and-a-half miles of streets, including Sauchiehall Street, Bath Street, Renfield Street and Hope Street.
A snowfall on the 17th had dissuaded many car-owners from driving into the centre to see the Christmas lights. Police officers stationed at junctions shivered in the snow and reported a quiet day. The real test of the new system thus came on the 18th.
The Evening Times photographer caught pedestrians crossing at the Union Street/Gordon Street junction despite the red crossing light spelling out ‘Wait’. Pedestrians complained that with the traffic having been speeded up, they, too, were having to move faster. Some blamed the ‘Cross Now’ signal that flashed up.
“Not long enough,” one man said. “You only get about 10 seconds to cross - and if you’re at the back of a crowd the signals have changed before you can get across. Ill-mannered motorists make it difficult enough for us to cross the roads without us now having to run for our lives into the bargain.”
One motorist said: “People are darting out between the traffic lanes instead of using the controlled crossings. Something must be done about this, or someone will be killed.”
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Herald DiaryA police officer said resignedly that there were still too many “wandering pedestrians.” Barely had he spoken when an angry screech of brakes in Renfield Street greeted a woman who had stepped onto the roadway despite the four lanes of traffic that were bearing down on her.
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