Right-Of-Way On Hills

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32037, 11 July 1969, Page 9

Right-Of-Way On Hills

There was once a widelyaccepted rule of courtesy which said that where a vehicle moving uphill met one coming downhill, and there, was insufficient room to pass, the car travelling downhill should give way, says the latest issue of "Road Safety.”

Starting on a hill is difficult for many drivers, who find It one of the hardest parts of their licence test and will avoid the manoeuvre if they possibly can. On the other hand, starting when facing downhill is easy.

For this reason, says the article, it seems reasonable that downhill traffic should give way to uphill traffic where the road is not wide enough for the vehicles to pass.

“Unfortunately this courtesy rule seems to have dropped from the minds of many drivers these days.” The signs committee of the National Roads Board studied the question recently, but decided that rather than complicate the regulations with even more restrictions the matter should remain a question of road courtesy, the article says. In some cases the conflict between uphill and downhill traffic came about because a parked vehicle narrowed the roadway, and in some cases the road was so narrow that a car and a heavy vehicle could pass only with great care. Obviously it would not be practical to erect a sign or pass a law to meet all these situations, the article says.