Motorists' Breaches at Ohau Level Crossing

Chronicle (Levin), 6 March 1948, Page 4

Motorists' Breaches at Ohau Level Crossing

Charged with driving -his car across a railway crossing when the line was not clear, Gordon Woodward Barnes, Wanganui, was fined £5 by Mr. A. M. Goulding, S.M., m the Magistrate's Court, Levin, yesterday. 1 , Traffic Inspector M. Kehoe, who prosecuted, told the court that he, was 'i'n his patrol car on the north side of the Ohau crossing. He had a good view of the line and_ saw- atrain approaching. A- taxi with five passengers, and driven'by defendant, approached the crossing and stopped. The driver had glanced along the line and then proceeded to cross. The magistrate : How far was the train away from the crossing? — • Afcout 200 yards, sir. -v. The magistrate: Would it be possible for him not to see the train?. — He would see the the danger signal. f The magistrate: In a letter to the court, defendaht- says that he explained to you that he had not seen the train and thought that the signals must have been out of order. — No sir. He must have 'thought that one out later. - "This is a dangerous practice, particularly with a public conveyance," said Mr. Goulding when imposing the conviction and fine. Also charged with crossing the Ohau railway crpssing while the line was not clear, Alfred Mildenhall,- of Kilbirnie, was fined £3 and ordered to pay^court costs of 10s. Traffic Inspector M. Kehoe stated that during • five days he had caught thre.e drivers offending in this maniier at. the Ohau crossing. Rode Cycle Without Light Charged with riding an unlighted bicycle, Leonard Lewis Close, of Levin, was fined £1. Constable W. R. Gillespie said that at 11.35 p.m. on February '7 he saw defendanf cycling in Bath Street. It was dark and defendant had no light. He stated that he had borrowed the bicycle to qome into town. Court costs amounted to 10s: No Tail Light A fine of 30s was imposed on Patrick Thomas Tuohy, of Wanganui, on a charge of driving a motor-vehicle without a tail light. Traffic Inspector M. Kehoe told the court that he had followed defendant's car and warned him about the speed at which he was | travelling. On inspec'ting the vehicle he had noted that the tail light had no -bulb, no red glass. and the wires were disconnected.