TRAM-CARS MAY BE PASSED ON RIGHT IS NEW COUNCIL RULING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18546, 21 August 1928, Page 14

TRAM-CARS MAY BE PASSED ON RIGHT IS NEW COUNCIL RULING.

t The motor vehicle regulation that. 1 every driver of a motor vehicle shall, ; when overtaking any vehicle other than ! a tram, pass on his right side of the ' overtaken vf hide, and shall not then i move into line of passage of the other j vehicle until clear from it by *r. least j eighteen feet, was interpreted by the • Traffic Department of the City Council j to mean that any vehicle cannot overj take a uavn-car moving in the same I direction and on the right-hand side ol ! such trnm-car. but that it must always overtake ,m the left-hand side. The by-laws Committee of the council was of opinion that the regulation was not suitable' to Christchurch and sought to have the city excluded. At last night’s, meeting of the council the By-laws Committee reported that a letter had been received from the Minister of Public Works stating that it was considered that the interpretation placed upon the regulation ; was not correct and pointed out that the regulation, stated that the driver of a motor vehicle overtaking any vehicle other than a tram shall pass on fiis righthand side. The effect and intent c.f the reference to a. tram in this regulation: was merely that a motorist should not be prohibited from overtaking a moving J tram on his left s’de. Whether the u overtaking of the tram was to be cn the right or left side is, by the regulations. left to the motorist. As the Traffic Department's interpretation has been given wide publicity the committee recommended that motorists be informed that they were not prohibited from passing a moving traincar on the. right-hand side. The recommendation was approved.