A LAW FOR PEDESTRIANS [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—A " Law for Pedestrians," recently demanded (and with some truculence) by writers of letters to the daily Press, would be welcomed by none more warmly than the luckless pedes- trian himself. It is, of course, absurd that he should be the one road-user whose use is not directed—and protected—by rule. When there is a footpath, let him by all means use it, and forsake it at his peril. But where—and in the country this is the far commoner case=there is none ? What then ?
I happen to live in the county which the returns show to have the lowest percentage of footpaths to its main roads. As things are the walker is not given any direction whatever which side of the road he should take. The habit of the footpath inclines him to the right ; the rule of the road counsels left ; his senses, including that least used of them called (ironically) common sense, urge him to face the traffic. But which side —and this is the real point—does the Lord of the Road, the motorist, expect him to be ? I ask my motor-owning friends : their 'answers disagree. Let a law be given that is plain to us both, and accidents will be fewer. What; then, is the rule to be ? It would simplify practice if one rule could apply to both footpath and road—" Keep to the left." The present " Keep to the right " of the footway in towns is nothing less than a death-trap. How many deaths are caused each year by someone on the pavement walking, quite correctly, on the right side and, in order to pass a slower walker ahead, stepping off with his back to the oncoming traffic ? One instance comes poignantly to my mind, a fine boy, my last Captain of Cricket (I ant an old schoolmaster) killed outright in just this way-
" Manibus date plenis." But will the converse, " keep to the left," be the rule of safety on the country road without a footpath ? Only the other day a youthful, member of this household, cycling downhill at dusk and dazzled by the light of an approaching car, charged at full speed plumb into the back of a pedestrian, whom at the moment he could not see. When the latter recovered from the shock, which had spun him head over heels, happily with no worse result than a cut head, he urged pathetically that he was "on his right side." But was he? No one can say. And to the cyclist, with badly buckled cycle and badly scarified face and hands (though lucky indeed that things were no worse) it was cold comfort to know that he too was " on his right side." Which of the two, I wonder, could claim damages ? And yesterday on the main road I overtoo1 a neighbour pushing her " pram " uphill. I offered help, and suggested crossing the road to face the traffic. She agreed—for herself,- but pleaded that her husband always told her she must keep to the left. Which of us is right Or
perhaps he would " hedge ". by claiming that a-perambulator is a wheeled vehicle—as I suppose it is.
In this chaos of indecision one thing at leash is certain:
the walker on country roads is to be in the -line of the traffic and not facing it, then at night he -must -protect not only himself, but other road-users, by • carrying a " rearlight." What right has- he to be the one road-usesnot providing -this elementary safeguard ? A white belt, with reflector like that required of the cyclist., should be obligatory for all walkers on country roads after lighting-up time ; and the law. should be enforced by fines as with the cyclist. By cyclists this would be welcomed even -more than by motorists ; and it would save the dwindling body of " pedestrians '1. from the extermination which threatens them. We are in danger of becoming an " oppressed minority." Not long since, a visitor, to whom my wife mentioned that we had no car, replied:: " No ! How original I " • And a bright young friend, fresh from the open spaces of East Africa, roundly warned me that in a highly civilized community the walker had no right - to exist ; indeed, he hoped soon to see walking made a penal offence !
Till the law, however, forbid9 its to walk, is it too much to ask that it shall make rules which will tend to keep the death- rate among walkers, which has been steadily mounting year by year, as low as the present mania for speed allows ?—I am,
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