THE RIGHT OF WAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 810, 2 November 1929, Page 10

THE RIGHT OF WAY

Sir, —• I happened to be a witness of an episode in Queen Street yesterday which showed one reason, at any rate, why the Transport Board is unpopular. A woman motorist with her car parked beside the kerb was blocked in front by a car x>arked much more than the regulation distance from the footway. To get into the traffic she had to swing rather wide. Nevertheless, she had the right of way from following traffic. When she was just turning into the traffic a tram lollowfug tried to pass her and caught her right fender. No damage was done to the tram, and very little to the motor-car. But with all the outraged righteousness of officious officialdom the motorman stopped his tram, took the woman’s number and then had an earnest colloquy with a policeman, as if the tram had been wrecked, instead of not even scratched. Perhaps this sort of eagerness to display notebook and pencil in public is characteristic of Auckland officials, from traffic police to tram conductors! But in this case what offence there

was—and it was very little—was with the tram driver fur taking- the right of way of a vehicle which had the road, and with the driver of the first car which had been parked a yard instead of the regulation 18 inches from the kerb. Several people who witnessed the incident were stirred to indignation by the officiousness of both motorman and policeman, and I am handing my own name and the name of another professional man of good standing to the editor of The Sun in case the woman concerned should require assistance in any subsequent proceedings. FAIR PLAY.