MOTORISTS ON HILLS

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1935, Page 7

MOTORISTS ON HILLS

WHO SHOULD GIVE WAY?

UP-HILL AND DOWN-HELL TRAFFIC.

REGULATION NOT FAVOURED.

OVERBURDEN OF RULES ALREADY.

That the introduction of definite legislation in connection with the passing of vehicles on hills would mean but another regulation to worry a section of the public already overburdened with regulations was the opinion expresed by Mr. F. Amoore at a meeting of the Automobile Association (Taranaki) last night, when a letter on the subject from the Commissioner of Transport, Mr. J. S. Hunter, was considered. The meeting supported Mr. Amoore's opinion. The question had been discussed by the executive and was referred to the association for consideration, advised the secretary of the North Island Motor Union, Mr. W. G. Walkley. ......... It appeared that the provision of a universal rule on the subject might be fraught with the grave danger of establishing legal responsibility on the part of the person required under, the rule to give way, wrote Mr. Walkley. That was what occurred to-day in the operation of the right hand rille. If, for example, it became a rule of law that. down-hill traffic must give way to up-hill traffic any person going down hill would be presumed to be negligent. This seemed to be the way . the right hand rule was working. The feeling at the executive meeting was that the most the union should'ask the'Transport Department for would be the gazetting of courtesy signs to make them legal if any association felt it was desirable they should- be erected. COURTESY SIGNS. “As you . are no doubt aware considerable discussion in the Press and otherwise has taken place recently concerning courtesy signs for hill traffic, as the result of a remark alleged to have been made by a magistrate- that signs requesting down-hill traffic to give way to uphill traffic sho-.Jd be removed,” wrote the Commissioner of Transport. “I may com-

ment that on strictly legal grounds this remark was correct, for any signs relat- ' ing to motor traffic other than those Rescribed under Regulation 16 of the -Motor Vehicle Regulations, 1933, are illegal in view of the terms of clauses 20, 21. and 22 of that regulation.” So far as hill traffic was concerned, it appeared there were two conflicting customs, for each of which there was something to be said. The custom of downhill .traffic giving way appeared to be based chiefly on the difficulty that some drivers experienced in again getting the vehicle under way on a hill after stopping. On the majority- of occasions a balanced use of the hand brake and accelerator was called for and cases had arisen when the vehicle had run backwards out of control during the manoeuvre. As a set-off to this the i vehicle proceeding up-hill was more readily stopped or slowed down than the vehicle coming down. That the vehicle on the cliff or inner side of the road should give way to t|ie vehicle on the outer side was a rule which was. customary in some districts, and there was much to' be said in its favour. A frequent cause of motor accidents in New Zealand often ending in fatalities, was that a motor vehicle on a hilt 'road top _ close to the edge, with the Result 'that the edge grumbled away and the vehicle went over the bank. While 'unfortunately no statistics, were available covering such accidents, it was known that several fatal accidents of this nature had occurred during recent times. By the vehicle driver on the inside of the road giving way to the driver on the outer more room was made available to the latter, and he was given confidence tp leave a good margin for his vehicle from the edge of the road.