The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-06-22
METHOD OF KEEPING The
STREETS FROM BECOMING
CONTESTED is NEW.
Regulation Was Unknown Until Year
Ago, When 1t Was Taken In Hand
and Strengthened Out.

NEW YORK, June 22.-The traffic
squad of New York are the horsemen
in uniform to be seen in the midst OF
the great stream of vehicles upon
crowded thoroughfares like Fifth ave-
nue.. Broadway and along the most fire.
0uented cross streets. Strangers do
not often visit the streets which run
along the dock, but the mounted po-
lice can be found there also, keeping
the processio of drays and trucks
in motion and on their own side of the
read
The regulation of street traffic was
unknown in New York up to the year
1900. and although the number Of car
riages, automobile delivery wagons,
trucks and other vehicles was much
smaller than it is today, blOckades
were frequent throughout the city. Of
ten the greater part of a day was con-
sumed in transporting merchandise
from one point to another, especially
in the downtown shopping districts,
while charges were proportionate to
cut systematic direction or regulation,
were powerless. Quarrels between po-
lice, truckmen and cabmen were COM
mon, and it was only by resort to the
might stick that in many instances
b!otkades could be cleared away. There
was no bureau of street traffic no traf-
fc squad, and not one officer employed
on the street to keep vehicles moving.
Origin of the Reform.
These conditions provoked much
complaint and criticism in private and
in public, but nothing was done to
correct them until Mr. William Phelps
Emo, a public-sp spirited citizen, who
undertook to secure a change He as
serted that to accomplish anything
worth while, three things were ne
6essary..
and just rules, easily understood,
obeyed and enforced under legal enact
ment
Second-These rules must be So
placed and circulated that there can be
no excuse for not knowing them
Third-The police must be empow-
cred and and ordered to enforce them,
and men should be trained for that
purpose.
After giving close study to condi-
tons in London, Paris and other great
cities, Mr. Emo endeavored and with
great success, to secure the regulation
of traffic in the streets of New York
by means of a traffic squad, which, on
January l, 1900, consisted of 743 men
including 80 men from the regular
force detailed to the license bureau
really traffic duty, and 81 men from
the bridge squad for duty at thea
tiers at night. OF these, 1873 are
mounted, Is have bicycles and the re-
mainder are on foot
These officers enforce the street traf-
fic regulations, prepared by Mr. Emo
which are printed in folder form for
distribution among teamsters, coach
men, and the public generally, and in
poster form to put up in public sta
bles and garages
They consist of nothing which any
one who knows how to drive, or has
proper consideration for the safety
and comfort of others .as we'll as his
own, would not observe anyway. They
are made as oonsise as possible, so as
to be understood by all classes OF
drivers, and are illustrated by dia-
grams, showing the proper methods
of turning corners and crossings from
one side of a street to the other.
Block System.
The important intersections are
managed by the block system conie6
from London, which allows traffic to
go through alternately. The signals
are given by whistle but could he
given by semaphore and eliminate the
noise. The vehicles at the opera. the.
ater and other large gatherings arr
iiuied by the use of diagrams. Con.