KEEP TO THE RIGHT?

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 53, 3 April 1930, Page 8

KEEP TO THE RIGHT?

(Special to Telegraph).

RULE FOR PEDESTRIANS. WALKING ON COUNTRY ROADS. GREATER SAFETY . FROM CARS.

NEW PLYMOUTH. This day. The opinion that the North Island Motor Union should sponsor legislation making it obligatory upon pedestrians to walk on the right-hand side of country roads, was expressed by Mr W. G. Walkley at a meeting of the South Taranaki Automobile Association, after he had searclied for evidence of custom and law. The matter is to be placed before the Motor Union at its approaching meeting at Wellington. "To put the matter concisely," said Mr Walkley, "it appears- at present that the law is that motor traffic must keep to the left and overtake on the right, while, although it may be the rule, of the road, as stated 'by a magistrate, for pedestrians to walk on the right-hand side of the road, the practice itt 'this country is for pedestrians to take the left-hand side. The object of making it obligatory upon motorists to keep to ihe left .is ohviously to make the highway as safe as possible for vehicular users. It seems only reasonahle that regulations should he made making it equally obligatory for pedestrians to observe some universally-re-cognised rule of the road. In fixing such a rule two cardinal points must be kept in mind: (1) The safety of pedestrians; and (2) the protection of other road-users. "The advantage to the pedestrian of keeping to the riglit is that he is walking towards approaching traffic and therefore is in a position to do his sliare towards averting an accident if tlie necessity arises. When a pedestrian walks on the left he has his baek to the overtaking traffic, and in most cases places all the responsi'bility_ on the driver of the overtaking veliicle. It, takes two to make an accident in such a case, and the present praetice of leaving all precautions in the hands of the motorist is unwise, unfair and distinctly dangerous to the pedestrian. When two cars are meeting at night there is always a 'black area' in which it is impossi'ble for. a driver momentarily to discern anything, no matter how good his car lights may he. and any pedestrian walking with his or her back to approaching traffic is exposed to tlie peril of being run down.in the black

alA further point urged hy Mr Walkley was that 011 a wet or foggy night, or anv night at all, a person walking with his back to approaching traffic attain the maxiuium of invisibility, but if he walked on the side of approaching traffic he enjoyed the maximum of visi'bility, by reason of his white. face, collar and sliirt-front. Mr Walkley considered there would be very few disadvantages. It might- be argued that it would he difficult to educate people to walk on the riglit, hut he pointed out that it took rsew Zealand motorists only a few weeks to accustom themselves to the righthand rule." ■ '