CASE DISMISSED

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 104, 27 January 1931, Page 6

CASE DISMISSED

Alleged By-law Breach

CHARGE “UNREASONABLE” Palmerston North, January 26. A case in which the Palmerston North ■ ' City Council Traffic Department prosecut- - ed the driver of one of the council’s municipal buses occupied a considerable amount of the attention of Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court this morning. The charge against the driver, Robert Hill, was that he permitted a motor vehicle to ■ be stationary within .30 feet of an Intersection. ' „ , Lengthy evidence from the'traffic department officer ' responsible for the prosecution,, and the driver of the bus, was taken. . . The traffic officer was cross-examined by Mr. A. M. Ongley, counsel for the defendant,, |n regard to a certain amount of •friction, which was alleged to exist be- ‘.. tween the drivers of the buses and the ■ traffic department officers. Inspector Smith, of the council traffic department, said that on the date of the alleged offence he was patrolling Rangittkei Street when he noticed one of the municipal buses, driven by the defendant. Stopped around the Intersection of Featherston and Rangitikel Streets in such a - /manner. as to block the traffic. I’l In his evidence the driver of the bus, ■■'.Robert Hill, said that he bad stopped around the corner to pick up an’ old wo..man who had come out from a shop ou

the corner. "I think that It. Is unreasonable. You may have had to stop for some reason. I don’t think It is a case for prosecution if a man pulls up for. an Old woman when there is no traffic about.” said the magistrate. He added that if the law was intended to prevent the parking of vehicles near Intersections, it was reasonable, but for the purpose of preventing vehicles from stopping at intersections for any reason whatsoever, then it was unreasonable.