BLOCKED FOOTPATHS

Taranaki Daily News, 28 November 1934, Page 7

BLOCKED FOOTPATHS

AIMLESS PEDESTRIANS NEW PLYMOUTH’S MAIN STREET. RETAILERS’ ASSOCIATION MOVE. DESIRE FOR BETTER CONTROL. The marked congestion of Devon Street, New Plymouth, on Friday afternoons by groups of conversational shoppers and aimless pedestrians was discussed at length by the New Plymouth Retailers’ Association last night. It was thought that much improvement could Ire effected by the institution of a "keep-to-the-left” rule.

To that end the co-operation will be asked of the borough council in painting white centre lines and erecting signs, and of the inspector of police in having people kept on the move. The question of the control of footpath traffic was raised by the chairman, Mr. E. H. White. It was impossible to emerge from a Devon Street shop on a Friday afternoon, he said, and go any distance up the street without having to walk on the roadway. “The police spend most of their time moving people on,” said Mr. White, “but they merely drift back again.” He suggested that a white line along the centre of the pathway might improve matters by creating two definite streams of pedestrian traffic. This had been done in other centres.

“People seem to come into town on Fridays,” suggested a member, "just to meet their relatives in Devon Street.” A voice: New Plymouth is about 20 years behind the times. The footpaths were too narrow, said another member. If white lines were adopted and shoppers kept to the left the trouble involved in good windowdressing would be lost upon half of the people. The- system had worked well in Auckland, said Mr. White. When it was first introduced the control had been very strict and people soon formed the habit of keeping to the left. Now if one tried to walk up the wrong side of the footpath it was much like swimming against the tide. If the footpaths in Devon Street were narrow, that was all the more reason to improve the present position. Discussion ensued as to whether the matter was one for the police or the borough council. Mr. White and the secretary (Mr. V. Duff) were empowered to inquire 'whose was the jurisdiction and to take steps to place the association’s requests before the proper authorities.