RULE OF THE ROAD

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 19

RULE OF THE ROAD

RIGHTS OF PEDESTRIANS DISCUSSION BY AIOTORISTS. WELLINGTON. May 22. The difficulty in perceiving pedestrians at night owing to the bitumenisitig of roads was one of the reasons advanced by Dr Gibbs (Nelson) in movi .g at the motorists’ conference that the Government be asked for legislation making it compulsory for pedestrians to keep to the right when walking on roads where there are no footpaths. Air F. W. Johnston (Canterbury) said he thought the Government should be urged to make rural local bodies keep the footpaths in better repair. As the footpaths were now, women could not push perambulators on them, and took to the bitumen, where they were not only a danger to themselves, but to everybody. Air A. Grayson (Auckland) said he thought the law should be amended to prevent people from walking on the roads except where there were no footpaths. Wliere there were no side wall s pedestrians should be encouraged to keen to the right-hand side of the road. Some responsibility should be thrown on pedestrians to keep to the footpaths. The secretary (Mr W. G. Walklcy) said the motor unions had approached Mie Commissioner of Transport (Mr J. T. Hunter) on the question of right-hai 1 pedestrian road traffic, but had only been promised consideration. Air Hunter did not seem to be impressed by their arguments. Air R. J. Haid (Invercargill) said that in his district there was a road on which 90 per cent, of the pedestrian traffic was done on the bitumen, though there uere footpaths on each side of it. Dr Gibbs said he thought that the principle of pedestrians keeping to the right might well be universally enforced in the cities as well, so that everyone would become used to it. Air Johnston said he would like to see some restriction placed on pedestrians using bitumenised roads. It was true that pedestrians had a right to the road, but with the present-day fast-moving traffic the old conditions no longer existed, and the law should grow with the times. The bullock dray days were over. Dr Gibbs’s resolution was carried.