Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-04-29
SPEED OF AUTOMOBILES
Aldermen Considering an ordi.
nance Which Will Regulate It.
city Divided Into Two Districts. the
Speed Limit Being 10 and 20 Miles
an Hour, neutrality-suspicious.
License Fees.

At n special meeting Monday evening the
mayor and board Of aldermen got after
Automobiles who exceed the speed limit.
or speed manacs," as Mayor Burke
ohara cterized them. An ordinance regti-
ting the speed of machines was intro
duced, read twice and referred to a COM
fnttee consisting of city Attorney Villas,
| Mayor Burke and Alderman Clarke. with
| instructions to report at a meeting to he
held next Monday night. The ordinance
| as introduced divides the city into an
outer and an inner automobile district.
| The State law provides that an automo-
| bile shall not be driven to exceed 10
| miles per hour In any city or incorpor-
ated village This Is somewhat modified
| III the ordinance which provides that no
| machine shall be run in the inner dis
| trict at speed to exceed 10 miles per
| hour This inner district includes that
section from n point at the intersection
| or South Willard and South Union
streets. easter1y to Prospect street,
rortherly to North Bend and First
streets and to Lake View cemetery and
westerly to the lake. The State law Is
modified so that the speed limit in the
outer district Is % miles an hour every
daN except Sunday, when the speed limit
is 10 miles per hour throughout the city.
CITY Attorney Villas was Intercepted and
explained the State statutes and the city
charter as relating to speed regulation.
In connection with the resolution May
o" Burke submitted the following mes
sage, which was accepted and placed on
flle:
City OF Burlington, VT, Apr. 2s, 1909
10 the Honorable Board of Aldermen:
Gentlemen-Allow me to call your at
tention to what I believe a very i'm
portant matter namely, the matter Of
Enforcing the law relative to the use OF
autimobiles and motor vehicles In the
streets Of the City OF Burlington. First
! want to call your attention to the law
as it now stands which is as follows
sec. 1891 of the general statutes Is here
by amended so as to read as follows. No
autimobile or motor vehicle shall be run
on public hi or private way laid out
under authority of statute, in a carelcs.
or negligent manner. II a person run.
an autimobile or a motor vehicle at n
rate OF speed exceeding twenty five miles
an hour outside city or incorporated
village or the thickly settled part of a
town, or at rate Of speed exceeding
ten miles an hour across any bridge
OF more than fifty feet span, It shall be
prima facie evidence that the autimob.la
or motor vehicle was run carelessly and
neghgently. Nothing herein contained
snail be so construed as to affect the
rights OF the selectmen of a town or
the proper officials OF city. or incor-
porated village and said officials shall
nave authority to make special reKula-
tons as to the speed of such aut,mobilc,
or motor vehicles upon narrow or dan
gerous roads or ways such special
regulations shall be subject to an
appeal to the State highway
commissioner, whose decision in the cas.
7hsll be- final. No such special rey,la-
lions shall be effective unless motto. n,
re same is posted conspicuously in such
'oao or way reasonable distance from
4 point where such narrow or dangerous
fiace exists Gentlemen I want TO call
our attention to that part Of the sl.ove
section pertaining to the speed Of auti
mobiles and motor vehicles. which sovs
bat outside the thickly par, Of tow, {
'r Incorporated villages the speed OF tho
hove named vehicles shau not he r,ora
nan twenty-five miles an hour. or AZ
ate OF speed exceeding ten mi,.. ~
'"ur within a city. Incorporated village
" the thickly settled nart n, tow
u at rate OF speed exceeding ten miles
N hour across any bridge OF more than
''ty feet span, 1t shall be prma facia
violence that the above named vehicle
'as run carelessly or neglieently The Z
hove section also states that the proner f
meals OF city shall have authority TO l.
~ ke special regulations as to the speed Il
: such automobiles or motor vehicles "
pom narrow and dangerous roads or h