Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-05
OPPOSED TO AN ORDINANCE
WOULD EDUCATE THE DRIVERS

Regulations Approved by the Public
Transportation Committee of
the Board of Trade.
| for the District of Columbia, drafted by
William Phelps Emo, member Of the
Board of Trade public transportation
committee. after conference with Mai
Sylvester, superintendent of police, was
| approved by the public transportation
committee at meeting yesterday after
noon at the board rooms. Mr. Emo made
report recommending that the Board
of Trade use all its influence to have
the regulations adopted by the District
Commissioners. He said in the report
that he believed the Commissioners had
full authority to make these regulations
and instruct the police to enforce them.
The efforts of Maj. Sylvester to secure
the enforcement OF proper regulations
were warmly commended by Mr.. Emo.
who urged that he be thoroughly backed
up in all he is trying to do. 1t was also
resolved that the newspapers. the Auto
mobile Club. Drivers Association and
other organizations be urged TO Coop
crate and take the necessary steps to
inform the public generally of these regu-
lations and to do all in their power to
see that they are fully complied with.
Mr.. Eno's report is as follows:
Authority to Regulate Traffic.
Already a good start has been made
in traffic regulation in Washington
through the efforts Of your superintendent
of police, and much more would have
been accomplished by him had it not
been for a doubt as to whether he had
ample authority. 1t is partially to show
that the authority is already sufficient,
also to point out how to strengthen 1t
afterward and to suggest the quickest
and most economical method to obtain
perfect traffic regulation that this report
Is made.
1.-THE Commissioners of the District of
Columbia are authorized by Congress to
regulate street traffic. The authority
granted to the District Commissioners is
equivalent to that granted to the police
department of New York.
There, therefore, appears to be no
reason why the Commissioners OF the Dis
trict should not regulate traffic, and
there is every reason to believe that in
decision Will result in a continuance of
ayoidable accidents, some of which will
undoubtedly result in death, as shown by
past experience.
Though 1t would be Of advantage to
have new law enacted, it can be done
afterward, and there is no valid reason
for delaying more thorough traffic regu
lation until it is done.
Bill Passed by the House.
a bill was passed January 10, 1910.
in the House which reads as follows:
Providing for the regulation and
suspension of traffic and professions on
highways in the District of Columbia
THAT the Commissioners Of the Dis
tricr OF Columbia be authorized to
regulate. govern, control or prohibit
parades, professions, and the like in
the streets, avenues, and Othe places
under their supervision, and may in
their discretion, from time to time as
occasion may require, regulate or sus-
pend, in whole or in part, traffic Of
over any street. avenue or highway. or
part or parts thereof, during such rea-
sonablc periods of time and by such
means as they may determine to be
necessary to secure the preservation OF
public order or safety or the prOtec-
ton Of life or property
Section No. 146 of the proposed new
revision Of the charter Of the city of
Greater New York, with slight changes,
is also a good form for the purpose.
A Good Model.
IF used it should read as follows
for the District Of Columbia:
That the Commissioners Of the Dis
trict of Columbia be authorized, en-
powered and ordered preferably
through the agency of the superin-
tendent of police) to direct, control,
restrict and regulate in the interest
of public safety, health and convent
ence the movement of pedestrians. ami
NAL and vehicular traffic of every kind
in streets parks. bridges and public
places and to adopt, make. enforce ana
change regulations in regard thereto.
Traffic regulations. are properly police
regulations, and should not he put In the
form of an ordinance or OF any other law
They should be made by the police de-
rartment, because having TO be ENFORCED
by the police department 1t AVOIDS diVi-
sion of authority. Changes are sometimes
desirable and 1T takes time to get laws
changed. but If the police department is
authorized in the first place to make
changes 1t all becomes very simple.
Education of Drivers.
Education Of the drivers is the key
note of trafice regulation. The success
in New York is principally due to this,
and it would have been impossible with
out it. Paris, also. is beginning to profit
by education, and it will probably not be
very long before biockades there will be
almost unknown The New York regula-
tons have practically all been officially
adopted In Paris, but unfortunately so ne
unwisc changes have been made, and the
regulations are now in the form OF An
ordinance and difficult to understand and
have therefore drawn upon them the en-
nifty OF the drivers. The three Syndi-
Gates of drivers In Paris, one represent
ing I,OoO cab drivers, one representing
-. 900 drivers of business vehicles, and
the owners association. employing about
7uO0u drivers throughout the cities OF
France have united i'll a protest against
these ordinances, and have requested that
they be replaced by the translation and
adaptation Of the New York regulations
as furnished to them and approved by
the project OF police in December. 1903
Need Of Uniformity.
Many of our American cities have fol-
lowed the New York traffic regulations
but some OF these have unwisely put them
in the form of an ordinance or changed
them before having had any practical ex-
perience. This has resulted In cumber-
some, confused and ununiform regula-
ttopS Too po1lch Str0qa cannot he MIA ced