DANGEROUS PRACTICES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 72, 21 April 1909, Page 2

DANGEROUS PRACTICES.

We recently had occasion to refer to the re-kle-s and inconsiderate behaviour o ~ "section of motorists ami express™ 'the bono tli.it tlu. suggested conference of the Taranaki counties to ileal with "L menace to the safely of the public would materialise, there an other mutters that such a conference •could prolltnbly consider. I here is tnc. question of ««'"ers of vehicles driving at nWit-tiiue without lights-a highly dan-'erous practice. A motorist who proceeded to Stratford on a recent evenin., informed us that he must .have passed between to and 20 vehicles on the journev. and not one carried a light. In his case, it was, lie assured us, more bv good' luck than anything else that \w escaped collision, for the night was dark and the noise of his machine prevented hi* .bearing the approach of the vehicles. Then there is the lampless cyclist, who seems to revel in "scorching"' under the cover of darkness. This individual is not. however, confined to the countiv: he haunts the town and its environivaiul is a quantity that is rapidly increasing. A correspondent., ill a recent vominiinication, slated tliat more than half the hicycles ridden in and ahout the town after .lark now hahitually do not carry lights, and we are not disposed to question the statement. We know from our own experience that it is not vasy to keep an oil lamp alight on a windy night or to successfully manipulate an acetylene one. and therefore would not be hard on the lampless cyclist if he showed a little judgment in the matter of his pace and did not take to the footpaths when people we,re using them. l/nforliinately there are cyclists who care nothing for the public's safety, by-laws, or anything else, They delight in careering down the roads—oftiiiK's down the footpaths—leading to the town, perfectly regardless of what may happen. Again, ill the day lime, this genus may he found taking to the footpaths on the slopes and ••scorching" for all lie is worth. When the roads were dirty we would forgive a cyclist using the'paths of a by-road so long as lie slackened his speed and dismounted when passing pedestrians, but, whatever the state of the road, no cyclist is instilled in "scorching" down the footpaths of inclines like the Frankley, O.rrington, etc. We reported a case the oilier day in which a cyclist using one of these paths violently collided with a lady, who, as a result, was seriously injured. We cannot discuss the circumstances of this case at present, as legal proceedings are wilding, except to point out that while this practice is allowed to continue any pedestrian using the paths, particularly at night lime, is liable to be knocked over and injured. This is a very serlon* iuaUcr, and one which should receive ,the prompt attention of the local bodies and police. We look to them, as do llu- public, tu take measures to stop this dangerous and growing practice. While on the subject we #ight draw the attention of the local Borough Council to the practise of certain drivers dashing round corners at other than ordinary speed. 11l other towns, and of less importance .than .New Plymouth, drivers are made to negotiate corners only at a walking pace. Tin- same rule should obtain here.