Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-22
LIGHTS ON VEHICLES.
A Whee1man Thinks the RegulatfO
Should BE Enforced.

A Wheelman Thinks the Regulation
Should BE Enforced.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
I have taken considerable interest in the
prevalent discussion through your columns
of the pending regulation regarding the
carrying Of lights after dark by all We
hicles within the District, and would ap-
preciate an opportunity of expressing my
sentiments in this connection.
Some writers have said there was no ne
cessity for horse-drawn vehicles to carry
lights. Perhaps not, if they were only to
ply up and down such streets as Pennsyl-
vania avenue and F street, where light is
abundant, but on darker streets streets
lighted only by an occasional subdued glow
of a gas lamp, and even more especially on
the suburban roads, the necessity becomes
more apparent. As usual thing on the
streets of Washington an approaching
team will make enough noise to give warn
ing of its approach but not infrequently
will there be other noises sufficiently loud
to drown the clatter of hCofS and the rum
BILE of wheels.
Aside from this. however, the greatest
danger has always teen on dirt roads. Such
roads abound in the suburbs and parks of
this city, and most of them are in excel
lent condition. The great majority of our
cyclers patronize these roads, especially in
the evenings. when the weather permits
and l venture to say that out of the many
ing but a few hundred can be found vino
have never had more or less startling, if
not dangerous, encounters with unlighted
vehicles. 1t stands to reason that as long
as bicycles alone carry lights these en-
counters cannot be avoided for the road
deadens the sound, the trees cut off most
of the light, and in the darkness and quiet
| an occasional Grver or cycler will take the
middle or wrong side of the road. If every
enc, whatever his position, would keep to
the right, the necessity for more light
would be reduced, but so long as there are
rules so long will they be broken, and the
only relief is to enforce what rules we
have best We can and trust to Provi-
dence for the rest.
Some opponents of the regulation claim
that the expense to liverymen would be too
great but they seem to forget that a man
renting bicycles has to provide light for
every machine leaving his place after dark.
Fair Play one Of the opponents of the
new regulation, says the reason bicycles
should carry lights at night is because The
| bicycle is almost noiseless." True; but is
| the bicycle any noisier through the day?
The bicycle always has a bell to give
| tice of its approach and this compensateS
| for the noise of larger vehicles; but in adj
| dition to this it also has light at night,
which enables one to Immediately locate
the sound, and this cannot be said of car
r1aSeS, etc. We doubtless hear in all drec
tons, but how often We mistake the drec-
| ton from which sound comes.
In answer to parting query of Fair
Play'~I will state that the number of per-
| sons run down by unlighted vehicles is far
greater in proportion than those run down
| by bicycles bearing a light for on an aver
| age there are probably five bicycles ridden
| at night to one vehicle drawn by horses.
Fully approaching the inconvenience, to
express it lightly, caused by some vehicles
| not carrying suitable lights after dark,
| sincerely hope the contemplated regulation
may go into effect just as it stands, and in
| this hope l feel sure l am Joined by great
majority of the wheeling, as well as walk
ing, public of the District of Columbia.
December p, 1897. LUX.