PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 167, 12 April 1926, Page 11

PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC

A RULE NEGLECTED Although an attempt was made over a year ago to induce the pedestrian public to observe strict rules when using the city sidewalks by always keeping to the left, it has not succeeded to any marked extent, as anyone knows who lias attempted to hurry along when the streets are crowded (writes “H.P.”). At one stage the City Council had the centre of the’ footpath marked with a white line as a guide to the keeping of the rule, but with the disappearance of the line went the observance of the. rule. Since then a few signs. have been erected on convenient poles here and there bearing the injunction, “Keep to the left,” but as there is no. enforcement of the rule the public has drifted, and are now as undisciplined in the matter of keeping to a particular side of the sidewalk as ever they were. This w.ill be so until the traffic—the whole of the traffic—is placed in the hands of the police, as it is in most other countries of the world. Possibly there are ten times as manv people in Sydney as there are in Wellington, and there one seldom finds it difficult to get along the crowded sidewalks. The reason is that the policeman on ordinary beat duty insists on people keeping to the left, by always walking down an imaginary centre line, and separating the “letters” from the “fighters” as he paces along, and exerting his authority when folk forget the rule of the sidewalk.

At the present time the City Council has an arrangement with the police to attend to point duty at busy corners, but though the crowds of pedestrians crossing at such places present the same element of danger as does wheeled traffic, it is not the duty of the constable on point duty to guide them in their so that the people who are cautious have to watch the instruction given to the wheeled traffic so as to make the crossing in safety. There are other matters in connection with street traffic that need attention, and it is understood that th| Mayor (Mr. C. J. B. Norwood) intends to confer with the Commissioner of Police (Mr. W. I>. Mcllveney) shortly, with a view to a more general control of the traffic bv the police than exists at present. Mr. Mcllveney took particular notice of this work wlrle on a visit to America a couple of years ago, and is fullv posted on the various systems of traffic control in the States and in England. i