JAY WALKERS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 184, 5 July 1945, Page 4

JAY WALKERS.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—At last the City Fathers are going to deal with, so they say, Public Nuisance No. 1. —the jav walker who strolls across the streets perfectly oblivious to vehicular traffic. While on the job numerous other jays should be dealt with. First, those ladies who park their prams two, and sometimes three, abreast in the middle of the footpath while they exchange personal health reports and the latest bit of scandal from their respective residential quarters. Then there is the person who will persist in walking on the wrong side of the path. That the bulk of the pedestrians are keeping, or are trying to keep, to the left-hand side means nothing to this boneheaded jay (male or female) who blunders unconcernedly into every person trying to observe the left-hand rule of the footpath. Another is the person who ignores the crossing lights, very often under the noses of the traffic officers, perhaps because, frequently during the busiest periods of the day, these lights are not working. How can the public Ixi educated into observing the coloured lights if these lights are not functioning regularly? Another nuisance is the queue allowed to form up outside a shop which has received a long wished-for consignment of stockings. chocolates, etc. Could not a traffic officer compel ihc queue to keep as close to the shop wall or window as possible? Why should those people occupy tlie whole of the footpath and compel pedestrians to step out into the roadway, especially on wet wintry days when the water channel is flooded and cars arc parked right on to the kerb-stone. Some time ago the City Council promised to enforce the by-law concerning stray dogs in the Square. Every dog was to be on a leash, but nothing eventuated. Seemingly it was nobody’s business to enforce the by-law and so the dogs continue to leave their marks on bags of vegetables and other goods standing in shop doorways. East but not least, drivers of breakdown trucks rushing to service disabled ears should understand that they have not the same privileges as the Fire Brigade as regards speed and immunity from traffic regulations. The same applies to many taxidrivers who road-hog along, utterly regardless of pedestrians or traffic regulations.— Yours, etc., FOOTSLOGGER.