THE RIGHT TO WALK

Progress, Volume VIII, Issue 2, 1 October 1912, Page 99

THE RIGHT TO WALK

The precocious season of 1912 is already anticipating that period when the Big Gooseberry and the Sea Serpent supplement the lack of exciting news. A discussion which, in all fairness, should have been reserved for the Silly Season has already broken out in a portion of the London Press on the question of “The Right to Walk.” Of course the fundamental reason for the discussion is the motor car; be it a taxi, bus, business van or private vehicle. How to diminish .the number of accidents which occur in London and which have shown an appalling increase since the adoption of motor traffic is a very vexed question. Moreover questions of a similar, though less grievous nature will, some day, no doubt be raised in most cities. A tremendous number of school children are killed annually, and this, incidentally is evidence that the majority of the accidents are due, not so much to the drivers of vehicles, as the poor unfortunate victims themselves. With a view to improving matters, if only to a small degree, a writer in the “Palladium” (England), suggests that in every school the children should be taught this one rule:—When crossing “the road, first look to the right: on reaching the “middle of the road, look to the left.” Such a rule might attain to legendary value, if it were inscribed in bold letters on the walls of our

primary schools. Furthermore, if the public generally could be induced to an observance of it, it is no exaggeration to say that a full half of the accidents to pedestrians would never take place. All of us motorists in London, aye, and in the world at large have had dozens of uncomfortable thrills because of fearsome acts of careless folly on the part of foot passengers. I refer, of course, to instances where it. has required the exercise of instant presence of mind (and muscle, too) on the part of the motorist to avoid colliding with purblind pedestrians.