DANGEROUS SCOOTERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22344, 15 February 1936, Page 25

DANGEROUS SCOOTERS

BOYS ON FOOTPATHS PROBLEM IN MELBOURNE [from our own correspondent] MELBOURNE. Feb 3 A crusade which may curtail the pleasures of small boys in hilly suburbs in many cities has been initiated by Mr. R. F. McPhillamy, a member of the Kew Council, in the Melbourne metropolitan area. He states that recently he was "nearly killed" by a scooter, which had a "side-car" attached, and which brushed past him on a footpath at a speed of 15 miles an hour.' Mr. McPhillamy is determined that this danger must be eliminated in Kew, and he hopes that action will be taken in other suburbs to curb the enthusiasm of small boys for the diversion, which is dangerous to themselves and to other users of roads and footpaths. Melbourne, with a secret liking for daring youth, has been amused at Mr. McPhillamy's outburst against the users of scooters. Mr. McPhillamy has confessed that if he had 100 children ho would probably make a cart for each of them, but would insist that they should not make a speedway of streets and footpaths in busy centres. Accordingly, he proposes to suggest to the Kew council that it should draft a traffic code for the control of scooters, and he hopes that this code will be made uniform throughout the metropolitan area. Actually, another metropolitan council, Hawthorn, already has a by-law which prohibits the use of scooters and "billy-carts" on all footpaths in the municipality. The by-law was enacted seven years ago after a series of serious accidents had occurred, but it is conceded that the time is ripe to institute a "drive" to enforco the regulation.