Extract of letter from New Scotland Yard Commissioner to Ministry of Transport about the need for effective street lighting, 3 December, 1926 (Catalogue ref: MT 34/207)
Transcript
Any further communication on the subject of this letter should be addressed to:-
THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE New Scotland Yard
OF THE METROPOLIS LONDON, S.W.1
New Scotland Yard 3rd December, 1926.
LONDON, S.W.1.,
And the following No. quoted:-
63/S/29 (B.2)
Communications should not be addressed to
individuals by name.
Sir,
I am directed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to refer to his letter of the 16th December 1924 (63/Gen/313) on the subject of the lighting of the new arterial roads and to say that, with the rapid growth of motor traffic and the building developments in progress, it is felt that the time has come when the full question of road lighting in the Metropolitan Police |District is worthy of special consideration.
The Commissioner realises that adequately to light all the roads is not a practical proposition, at the present moment, but from time to time cases of accident are reported to him which appear to be clearly due to defective lighting. In many case where lighting is provided, the best effects do not appear to be obtained owing to the lamp posts being placed in positions where the light is partially obscured by the branches of trees, and in certain circumstances the effect of this is, in windy weather, the creation of a moving shadow giving the impression of a pedestrian stepping into the roadway. Although it is incapable of proof, there is every reason to believe that this was the direct cause of a very serious accident in the Kew Road. For a long distance here the road is interspersed with trees and a motorist going towards Richmond suddenly swerved to his off side and collided with an on-coming car…
The Assistant Secretary
Roads Department
Ministry of Transport
S.W.1