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(3) The maximum length of an omnibus, including fittings, attachments, and load, shall be 28 ft.

(4) The body of any omnibus shall not overhang its rear wheel-track by more than 1 ft. 3 in. on either side.

(5) The wheel-base shall in all cases be so proportioned that skidding, pitching, swaying, or other improper movements shall be avoided as far as possible.

(6) The length by which the body overhangs the axis of the rear-wheels of an omnibus, herein referred to as “the overhang,” shall not exceed two-fifths of the total length of the wheel-base, provided that in no case shall the overhang exceed 6 ft.

(7) For the purpose of this regulation, wheel-base means the distance from the middle point of the line of axis of the foremost pair of wheels on an omnibus to the middle point of the line of axis of the rearmost pair of wheels : Provided that, in the case of those omnibuses fitted with two rear axles (and their relative wheels) placed closely one behind the other, the rear commencing-point of measurement of the wheel-base and the overhang shall be taken from the middle point of a line drawn from one rear-wheel axis to the other.

Body.

38. (1) Every motor-omnibus shall be fitted with a permanent body made of wood, steel, or other similar enduring material approved by the Inspecting Engineer. The body shall be of good and robust design, shall be made of first-class materials, with first-class workmanship and finish, shall be designed to give full protection to passengers in any weather, and shall be permanently attached to the chassis.

(2) The sides and roof of the body shall be non-collapsible.

(3) Highly inflammable materials must not be used in the construction or fittings of the body.

(4) Fittings must not have sharp corners or edges, or extend in such a way as to render them likely to be a cause of injury to passengers or to their clothing.

(5) Effective means must be taken to prevent, during service, any unnecessary rattle of windows or doors or other noises caused by movements of the body-frame.

(6) Sufficient hand-rails, hand-straps, or hand-grips must be provided for the convenience and safety of passengers when standing in or moving along passageways.

(7) Every omnibus shall be fitted with glass side-windows of which at least one-half the total number shall be capable of being readily opened and closed. All window-openings shall be guarded for a distance of 4 ft. 6 in. from the floor with bars or netting, or by other means, so that a spherical body 5 in. in diameter cannot be passed through any opening within the said distance.

(8) The omnibus must be so constructed that sufficient ventilation is provided by means other than the ordinary windows. Special ventilating-windows may be fitted, provided that, if accessible to passengers, they shall comply with the provisions of the last preceding subclause relating to guards, and provided also that suitable provision is made for the reduction of drafts to a minimum.

Lighting.

39. (1) While carrying passengers at any time when by law the omnibus is required to be lighted, the interior shall, subject to the provisions hereinafter set out, be illuminated with electric light on the basis of a minimum of five candle-power to every five seats. When owing to paucity of passengers or the requirements of safety or other proper circumstances it would temporarily not be reasonable to meet the foregoing requirements, all or any of the internal lights, save that referred to in subclause (5) hereof, may be switched off by the driver.

(2) The lights shall be so distributed that the doorways and steps shall be clearly illuminated while in use, and so that light is well distributed throughout the interior of the omnibus.

(3) No single light shall be less than eight candlepower.

(4) Lamp-fittings shall be of a substantial nature, so that passengers will be protected as far as possible from breakages.

(5) The lights must be so placed within the body of the omnibus, or must be so controllable by switches, or so guarded by shields or non-reflectors that the driver shall not be hampered by light direct or reflected from the internal lights. Independent circuits shall be provided so that, during lighting hours and while the omnibus is on service, at least one of the interior lights shall remain alight.

Steps.

40. (1) Steps for the assistance of passengers in entering and alighting from the omnibus must be placed to all outside doorways (except emergency doors) which do not reach within 16 in. of the surface of a level roadway. Steps must be safe and convenient, and sufficient means must be provided by grip-handles to assist passengers using them.

[No. 43

(2) The distance of the lowest step above the surface of a level roadway must be not more than 16 in. with the omnibus unloaded or less than 10 in. with the omnibus loaded, and the tire worn to its maximum. The rise between one step and the next shall not be greater than 12 in. The treading-surface of any step must not be less than 8 in. from front to rear. Every step shall be provided and maintained with a suitable covering or tread-plate to prevent slipping, and must be of the one continuous level for its full width.

Miscellaneous Fittings.

41. (1) Buffers of a cushioning type to ameliorate injuries to the omnibus or passengers in the event of collision must be provided along the front of every omnibus.

(2) The omnibus must be so constructed, or side guards or other approved appliances must be fitted, so that, save for any necessary steering-clearance, persons are protected from falling under the vehicle from the sides.

(3) Mechanical devices, approved by the Minister and efficient by day and by night, must be provided on every omnibus to indicate to road users and controllers of traffic when the omnibus is about to turn to the right or left, and to warn vehicles in the rear when the omnibus is about to stop.

General Chassis Requirements.

42. (1) The springs shall be of ample strength and shall be so designed, constructed, and secured that when the omnibus is travelling either fully or partially loaded it shall afford reasonable comfort to passengers under average conditions of its service and route.

(2) The wheels must not be so heavy or so equipped that more than reasonable strain is placed upon the steering-gear.

(3) For the protection of pedestrians from front collision and at the discretion of the Inspecting Engineer, having view to the conditions of the proposed routes, every omnibus shall either have a clearance for the full length of the vehicle, and, for a width corresponding to the transverse distance between the tires, of at least 10 in. vertically from a level roadway to the nearest part of the chassis when the omnibus is fully loaded, or be provided with a front protective guard, approved as being sufficient and satisfactory by the Inspecting Engineer. Where the former alternative is adopted, protective rails or other approved devices must be provided to prevent the rear wheels from running over any person who may be prone and underneath the omnibus.

(4) When ball and socket joints of steering-connections are used the longitudinal or transverse rods, as the case may be, must be supported by the ball.

(5) The chassis shall have a maker’s designed carrying capacity for regular and continuous passenger service such that the total weight of the body and of any load that the omnibus is, in the opinion of the Inspecting Engineer, likely in service to carry, including such standing passengers as are allowed in terms of Regulation 31, shall be not more than four-thirds of the said designed carrying capacity.

Plans and Specifications.

43. The Inspecting Engineer shall be supplied before inspection of the omnibus (and preferably before construction of the body) with the maker’s specifications and other data, covering the design, strength and weight of the chassis, gear ratios, revolutions of engine when running at normal speed, and, when possible, steering-mechanism ratios. Similarly, plans drawn to scale and specifications shall be supplied showing all important dimensions and covering the design, strength, and quality of materials for the body and fittings, and also there shall be supplied the weight of the body, or if the body is still under construction the estimated weight thereof.

F. D. THOMSON,
Clerk of the Executive Council.

(P.W. 26/5/2/14.)

Consenting to stopping Portion of Road in Blocks IX and XIII, Tutamoe Survey District, Hobson County.

CHARLES FERGUSSON, Governor-General.

ORDER IN COUNCIL.

At the Government Buildings at Wellington, this 10th day of May, 1928.

Present :
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE J. G. COATES, P.C., PRESIDING IN COUNCIL.

IN pursuance and exercise of the powers and authorities conferred by the Public Works Act, 1908, and of all other powers in anywise enabling him in this behalf, His