MOTORISTS AND PEDESTRIANS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16856, 9 June 1920, Page 7

MOTORISTS AND PEDESTRIANS.

TO THE EDITOK OF "THE TRESS." I Sir, —A good deal of correspondence : : has passed through the columns of ''The Press" during the past few days dealing with the lack of consideration which motorists display towards pedestrians : and other road traffic in general; also 1 with the use of sirens as a means of , warning ou approach. It may bo vcif ' nerve-racking for Professor "vVall and I his friends in print to have their medi- . tations disturbed by the blast of a j motor siren, but a little experience of ; motoring and motorists' responsibilities . j might make even these lovers of Nature and sunsets see that to-day a hooter or I siren is a necessity._ Seme people have an idea that those in charge of motors ! drive about the country making theso obnoxious noises for their own amusement. I am sure that it is not so, for i in most cases the siren is as annoying f/i flineo in r>n i* oo if +« nnrf«t<..

' to those in the car as it is to anyone 1 else, i liave for months had attached to my car one of the Professor's "deep, j low-sounding horns," also a siren. I can safely say that on a trip from I Amberley to ~ Christchurch, and even ! through the town itself, the horn will : fail to give me even my rights of the road, but, one blast of that wretched 1 hooter will make people shift. Then, again, on approaching a corner the horn is useless to warn another approaching . car whose engine noise would drown the sound, especially if fences or trees were between "the two cars. There may be, and certainly are, faults to be found in motorists, but they are not the only faulty members of the community. There is the person who steps off a tram and. without a glance to right or left, makes straight across the road. There is the one who walks round behind the tram-car and walks straight to the opposite pavement. Then, take the people who walk all over the Square, never thinking of walking on the footpaths, and on seeing a motor approaching stop, take one step backwards, two forward, and then stop again. What I mean will be quite apparent to any motorist, and although! pedestrians and drivers of vehicles cer- | tainly have their rights, they should remember that the motorist has a few! , also, and that every motorist does not j blast his siren for his own amusement,; ' or to put the fear of sudden death into : any who may be in the line of fire. I Some of your correspondents seem to ! think the motorists a set of beings in- j considerate and apart, but if any cne of; them would meet me by appointment. any afternoon, and allow mo to take j them for an hour's drive in and around Christchurch* I will guarantee to show j

them more stupid find inconsiderate people than they over knew existed, in answer to Mr* Stringer's quotation about what- is exprcted of pedestrians, let. me quote a clipping from an American ear journal: —_ 1. On discovering an approaching team the automobilist must stop offside and cover his machine with a tarpaulin to correspond with the scenery. 2. The speed limit on country roads will l>e kept sorret, and the penalty for violation will Ive £2 for every mile an offender is caught going in excess of it. 3. In case an automobile makes a team run away, the penalty will be £5 for the first mile, £10 for the second .mile, and £20 for the third mile tlnilt the team run?, besides the usual damages. •1. Un approaching a corner where he cannot view the read ahead, the automobilist must- stop not. less than one hundred yards from the turn, hoot Ins horn, ring a bell, fire a revolver, haloo, and send up three bombs at intervals of live minutes. 5. Automobiles must be reasonably painted, that is, so they will merge with the pastoral ensemble, and not be startling. They must !o green in i snring, golden in summer, red in J

JMMUIJI, 111 hUUUKtU, It'll 411 j autumn, nnd white in winter. ; 0. Automobiles running on countrr 1 roads r.t- night must send up n rocket I every mile, and wait ton minutes' for j the road to clear. They mar then proI rc-cd carefully, bl ~winp; horns and shoot- ; in<r Roman candles. j 7. In case a horse -will not- pass an automobile, notwirlistanding the scenio tarpaulin, tho autoniobilisfr will take Ins machine* r.mrt as ranidly as possible nnd conceal the parts in tho grass.— Yours, etc., IT. M. RUTxGIX. Amberley,. June sth. J