New-York tribune., 1904-09-22
OCEAN PARKWAY Reform.

The park and police authorities Of Brooklyn
are doing a good work on Ocean Parkway. 1t
would have been better if they had done 1t Ions
ago. They knew last spring as well as they
know this fall that the engineers Of motor cars
were dedantly breaking the law, were making
that great driveway not only unpleasant, but
most unsafe for the general public to drive
upon and that therefore thousands of people
to whom 1t had once been a place of pleasure
and health were stunning it as though it were
infested with pestlence. They ought to have
acted then, or even at an earlier date, with pre-
ventive measures, emuIating the illustriOus
Boyle Roche, who. when he smelled rat and
saw him floating in the air. promptly procee led
to nip him in the bud. However 1t Is better
late than never. The effects OF this tardy activ-
ity are highly gratifying, in reforming Condi-
tons upon the parkway and also in driving Of
tenders TO self-convictlon.
For on Sunday last the parkway was. for the
first time in many months, in fairly fit condition
for general use. II was possible for pleasure
drivers to go upon it with some degree of safety
and comfort. a good many did 50 They were
not nearly many as they would have been
had the road never been turned into a race
course for locomotives. 1t is easier to disgust
and alarm people than to reassuTe them. Never
theless, the announcement that the police were
going TO suppress engine racing did reassure
some, while others were attracte thither by
curiosity to see what would happen when the
police tried to stop some Crimson Corker'' go
Ing at thirty miles an hour, as had long been
the custom of such machines. Those who went
ont of curiosity were. however, disappointed
while those who went hoping at last to find
conditions fit for driving were gratifed There
were no arrests and no need Of any. The SIM
pie, announcement that the police were at last
going 10 do their duty sufficient 20 awe
every scorcher into Obeylng the law. Automo-
biles were there as numerous as ever. But
they kept within the reasonable and generous
speed limit required by law
That, we have said, was an act OF self-con.
viction. BY thus slowing down TO a six-minutes
pace when they knew the police were watching
them, the motornen practically admitted that
they had formerly knowingly and Intentionally
broken the law. They would not admit Il be.
fore. On the few rare occasions when some OF
them were arrested for running at twenty-five
or thirty miles an hour they were always ready
and glib with protestations that they had no
idea they were going more than eight or ten
and that their machines were incapable OF max
ing moro than twelve. Somehow, the presence
OF policemen marvellously improves their ap-
probation of rates of speed. 1t will be neces-
sary, however, for the police to persist in their
good work for some time. as the incidents OF
-A"iIA"5 "sHt Suo"eu' Inc parkway mas been
USED as racecourse not only on Sundays. but
every day, and particularly every evening. It
has been dull evening all through the last
summer when within an hour one could not see
score or more of machines rush past at from,
twenty to thlrty-fiv miles an hour. Why not7
There was generally not more than one DoIice-
man visible on the whole five miles OF road
The result was that pleasure drivers had 70
| take to the side road. intended for business
traffic. or else avoid the parkway altogether. II
is high time for such conditions to be ended
and therefore the authorities are to be com.
mended and supported in their somewhat be-
lated performance of the duty which The Trib.
une has long been urging upon them