RIGHT OR LEFT?

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 173, 23 July 1936, Page 10

RIGHT OR LEFT?

PEDESTRIAN PUZZLE. STREET NOTICES IGNORED. LOCAL BODIES' PROBLEM. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) •< • WELLINGTON, .Wednesday.

J That local bodies are powerless to punish pedestrians who . ignore street notices which arc intended to protect them from careless crossing of streets was a statement made by Mr. D. W. Coleman (Government, Gisborne) when discussing the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill. . '.x v. ' 1 '

' Jay walkers, he declared, were a great danger, but try as "they would' local bodies could not stop this practice. There was a very fine bridge in his electorate at Wairoa, with two good foot-, paths which the public were warned to use for their own, safety', ' but people, continued to walk in the track of motors, and he had been urged by the Mayor of the town to obtain legislation sriving local bodies power to make it illegal for pedestrians to walk in the roadway when a footpath was provided. He presumed the bill would include such power, and he congratulated the Minister of Transport, > Mr. Semple, on the enthusiastic way in whicli lie was taking up the question of preventing accidents on roads.

"I am firmly of opinion," added Mr. Coleman, "that 90 per r.cent of motor accidents in cities and boroughs are due to carelessness of pedestrians themselves, stepping off the footway and not looking to the right or left."

Mr. Semple, Minister of Transport, replied approvingly, declaring that pedestrians would have to learn, just as motorists---had to learn, how to use streets with a measure of safety to themselves and those driving cars.

Describing his long motoring experience, the Minister said everyone knew of narrow escapes every day "with stupid people running like a lot of blind beasts, not knowing where they are going, not looking to right or left."

There, must, lie. said, be some kind of systematic organisation and rules, riot only for motorists, but bicycle users and pedestrians. All who used streets must know exactly what to do in order to create the greatest measure of safety, and it'iwas -not a, question of motorist versus "push bicycle or pedestrian, but one of arriving at a common measure of safety for everyone concerned.

The Minister explained that while provision for the compulsory registration of bicycles was being deleted-from

the bill,; 1 tlie v Government was leaving this'to 16cal bodies. The registration of bicycles gave the ..only possible chance of tracing them, and he understood that Auckland city would adopt the system. He hoped that other local bodies would do the same. Mr. A. Hamilton (National, Wallace): There is no compulsion? The Minister.: Nat so far. The law could make it compulsory, Mr. Semple added, for bicycles to jiave distinguishing marks, though' a white rear mudguard which got black '. next day was a profoundly stupid idea. There

should be some kind of reflecting, disc reflecting... motor lights, and those who said the bicycle was not a menace . were' s&ying what was'untrue unless' the bicycle was controlled. \ i