THE PEDESTRIAN

Grey River Argus, 18 August 1937, Page 2

THE PEDESTRIAN

AND MOTOR MENACE. [Per Press Association]. PALMERSTON. N., August 16. “When a pedestrian sets out to cross a wide road it is not sufficient to look around just before stepping off a kerb, and then walk across without giving any more attention to his or her movements,” declared the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers), in the Supreme Court. “If that was permitted, then all I can say is that it would be an unfoitunate state of affairs. The pedestrian has a duty to look after himself, continued his Honor. “He is also entitled to have others regardful ol his rights, but he does not own the highway any more than the motorist. Each has a duty to the other. His Honor also had something tc say about Palmerston North motorists and the way they were failing to observe- the new traffic regulations requiring them to give way to pedestrian traffic at marked ciossings. Mr. O. C. Mazengarb, counsel for the plaintiff in the case before the Court, had elicited from a witness the fact that the accident had hap pened before the specialy-marked crossing were put down, and that before the new regulations motorists had not been in the habit of giving the right of way to pedestrians on crossings. Sir Michael stated that his own observations during the past few days in Palmerston North had sho' him that this was so. It was appalling to find motorists going over pedestrian crossings in the way they did, and he hoped his observations would act as a warning.