Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-17
Mounted Police Proposed for
Downtown Streets.
CHIEF SYLVESTER'S VIEWS
Regards It Necessary for Safeguard
ing Public.
NEW REGULATIONS NEEDED
Would Require All Vehicles to Carry
Lights After Dark-Aid at
Street Crossings.

Mounted policemen are soon to be placed
on duty in the business section Of the
city, particularly along F street.
Washington is becoming so metropolitan.
and so many vehicles of all kinds TEEN
the downtown streets, that Police Chief
Sylvester has determined that traffic
squad Is necessary. Mounted bluecoats,
therefore, are soon to take up their sta
lions at busy intersections and will form
the nucleus of a trafic-directing squad to
be developed in the near future.
The prevention of accidents is the main
object of the traffic squad. and the special
duties Of its members will be to enforce
the rules requiring drivers to keep to the
right of the road and to turn corners at
safe rates of speed and without cutting
| them.
| The constantly increasing size of the
business section of the city and the in
creased traffic which 1t has produced, the
great numbers of automobiles that speed
along the smooth asphalt in the down
town area and the many vehicles Of the
| ever-increasing number Of shoppers have
caused traffic on business streets Of such
| volume that accidents are narrowly
| averted every hour of the day.
| Inc safeguard against accidents, in the
| opinion of the police chief. is the proper
regulation Of all the traffic. The rules OF
/
| lat1ons found necessary in areas of con-
gcsted traffic. must be rigidly enforced
| and that can be accomplished by men
mounted on horseback. who have a gen.
eral survey of the streams Of traffic.
Benefits of System.
| When the system has been worked out
to its fullest development a member OF
the traffic squad will, by the raising OF
his hand, halt the traffic stream at q
certain intersection, untangle kno
caused by vehicle out of place anG
thus prevent probable serious tie-ur
of traffic or possible injury to severa
| persons.
Oftentimes it becomes necessary for the
| man who is an expert in sizing up the
volume of traffic and comparing it with
| the capacity Of the street to divert some
| OF the stream to side streets or to hall
| the traffic in one direction in order MOI
to keep blocked the traffic at right angles
on an intersecting street. The members
| OF the traffic squad become experts iI
directing traffic safely and expeditiously
and therefore this move Of the local po
! lice chief for the establishment of z
traffic squad is expected to improve traf
| f1c conditions on the congested street:
| of the downtown section.
| The mounted men will patrol the mid
die of the thoroughfares and W i'll direc
| the movements of the bicycle squad.
For Better Control of Traffic.
AS further move looking to the bet
ter control of traffic in the business
streets, Police Chief Sylvester favors tn
adoption of a rule to govern vehicles a
places of amusement, especially wher
they front on narrow streets or thor
oughfares upon which run car lines. H
thinks a regulation should require sucl
vehicles to approach the amusemen
house entrances from one direction ant
leave in the opposite way. Much trou
BILE and confusion, he believes, will b,
avoided by such a system. under the com
plete government of the police.
| Maj. Sylvester also would require al
vehicles streets to carry light.
after dark. Some time ago he made ;
| recommendation to the District Commits
sioners asking the adoption of such
regulation. No action has as yet beer
taken.
| Automobiles are particularly anxious
for such a regulation. believing that i
will decrease the number of accident.
at night. 1t is absolutely necessary the,
maintain, that such regulation b,
on country roads at night.
At a public hearing before the Com
missioners some time ago representative
of the local Automobile Club urgently ar
gued for such regulation, claiming
| that there is much reason from tn,
viewpoint of safety for requiring a ligh
on horse-drawn vehicle as on motor
driven one.