His Feet Were Not Good Brakes

Chronicle (Levin), 3 June 1949, Page 4

His Feet Were Not Good Brakes

If you want to stop that bicycle in a hurry, your, feet are not the best method to employ. One Levin cyclist fpund that out on Wiednesday fiight when he ' attempted to comp-'y with a request to pull into the curb and have his machine .checked over by a Transp'ort Department patrol. ° The bicycle stopped evqntuaPy, the rider bracing his legs as his shoes skidde'd along the tarmac. The inspectors were not impressed. Neither will his parent#be with the shoe repair account if the habit cqntinues. *' Carryihg qut the programme of bicycle safety* and eificiency tesls at present being employed by the department throughout the Dominion, the district traffic inspector, Mr. W. Boyes, assisted by a fellow offlcer from Palmerston North, took ldcal cyclists by surprise pn Wednesday night." Of a total of 53 cycles inspected, in a two hour check, eight were fpund to be without red reflectors, four lacked white paint on the mudguards and two had no brakes. Quite a number had no bells. The name of offenders were taken and further action will be taken against them. If you 'don't want your bicycle to carry you to court, here are the main poinls you will have to watch; they constitute the standard equipment for all bicycles: — An efficient rear brake; at least 12 square inches of white paint on the rear mutiguard, reinforced with a red reflectorf an efficient bell; for travelling at night a light must be attached to the bicycle and* the inspectors stress that "attached" rneans just that, and it shoul'd be visible to oncoming traflflo for 300 feet. The inspectqrs warn that further checks will be carried oufc in the future.