PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16003, 20 February 1914, Page 6

PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC

RULE OP THE ROAD,

UNIFORMITY WANTED. (Peb United Phess Association.) INVERCARGILL, February 19. A somewhat important proposal was brought boiore tho Town Council last night, when Cr Dunlop, in accordance with not'.co of motion, that a remit be forwarded to the Executive of the Municipal Association of New Zealand, urging Jt to take suck' steps as would induce tile various municipal coui. cils to adopt the "keep to the left" rule for pedestrians as it now applies to vehicles, thus bringing all street, traffic under one uniform rule. Or Dunlop said that the idea w;<s suggested to huu by a newspaper cablegram troui Sydney, about a fortnight ago, m wh.ch -t was stated that the ''keep to tne leit rule" hud been applied to all classes of traffic. He moved it ui that form, so as to make its application general throughout tho dominion, because he fully realised that it would never do to have different rules obtaining in the different towns. It a city of the importance of Sydney could see its way to adopt the general rule, ho thought that it would be an easy mutter for the cities of New Zealand to make tho same alteration. His object was to obtain uniformity, and in. this connection ho pointed out that there were very many pcoplo nowadays who rode bicycles, and they mostly contracted a« inclination to keep to the left, which lead to confusion. A uniform rule had been adopted oil tho Continent, and in America, ana he' was of opinion that it was high time that uniformity was f.ehieved in New Zealand.

Cr Brent thought the suggestion was an excellent one. There was no sense in keeping to tho left on tho road and to the right, on tho footpaths. The present system led only to confusion. The Mayor said that tho present rule hail boon adopted over 20 years ago. s Cr Brent: It does not follow that it is the best one. The motion was carried.