Imperial Valley press., 1912-10-14
AUTOM0B|u|sTS ASK FOR
UNIFORM SPEED LAWS.

Los ANGELES, Oct. 14.-The Auto
mobile Club of Southern California
makes a public request of those driv-
srs of machines who will have their
cars parked along the route taken by
the racers on the night Of the Los
Angeles to Phoenix race to turn the
lights of their ears away from the di
rection from which the racing drivers
will appear. This is courtesy which
the public will undoubtedly be glad to
extend now that it's attention is called
to the danger involved in allowing the
dazzling rays of the headlights on au
tomobiles to be turned directly on toI
the race course.
SO keen is the interest in this an
nuai event in the motor world that
on the night of the race the machines
OF the spectators form a line on either
side of the scheduled route, which eX.
tends from Los Angeles to the very
heart of the desert. 1t is easy to un
derstand that if the lights from all
these cars are allowed to face the path
of the racers they will merge into one
long binding glare of more menace to
the racing driver than any other obsta
Gle he may be called upon to encounter.
Under the most favorable circum-
stances this endurance race is a more
terrible strain than one who merely
witnesses the event can imagine, but
when brilliant glare of light is
thrown directly into the eyes of a
driver he is called upon to exercise
almost superhuman skill if he passes
through the ordeal in safety. 1t is too
much to ask of any one. The Automo-
bile Club would have the public bear in
mind the terrific grind through the deS-
ert which the drivers of the race must
endure and that every action of the,
public tending to make the first heat
of the race as easy as possible is only
justly kind and will undoubtedly be
appreciated by the participants of the
race.
1t must be remembers too, that any
violation of this courtesy will be
fraught with extreme danger sufficient
to result in death.
AS the result of strenuous agita-
ton by the Automobile Club of South
ern California for the establishing of
uniform speed law throughout all
Southern California. the executive
committee of the intercity commissio on
plete the arrangements for drawing up
a suitable ordinance governing the
speed limit of motor vehicles. The
men composing the intercity commits
sion committee are D. S. Gates of South
Pasadena, c. p. Dorland of Monrovia
and Robert Jordan of Alhambra In
order to have thorough understand
ing of the wishes of every municipality
n her in Al
aising the speed limit now imposed up
on motorists, representatives from ev-
cry town were urged to attend this
meeting. AS a result the mayors and
attorneys of several of the valley cities
were present. Miss s c. Geary, sec
retary of the automobile club, and f
c. Kuster. counsel for the automobile
club. represented that organization at
this meeting. Letters were read from
city councils which had been unable
to have representatives present at the
meeting.
II was found To be the unanimous
pinion of all Southern California towns
that the present low speed limit ex-
listing for both cities and country roads
IS not only unnecessary, but that il is
positive detriment to the best wei
Jordan, president OF The intercity com
mission, stated it as his opinion that
az the present day drivers of automj-
biles had their cars Under such control
as to make a limit of 80 miles for
country roads safe and Furthermore.
that low rate of speed was not ne
cessary from city limit to city limit
as has so far been customary Mr.. Jor-
10
rates of speed a low one for the most
congested part of the cities reasona-
bly, low one and vet noticeably above
that of the first between the most
crowded districts and the city limits.
and third and higher speed outside
the cities. In many cases a town is
incorporated to an extent far exceed
ing it's present resident capacity ana
yet the mOtorist is now compelled "a
drive as slowly in the outskirts of the
town where il is but sparsely populated
as on the most crowded thoroushfares
This, as was pointed out by various
members of the intercity commission. =
not only reasonable but is insistent
with generous policy of any munici
patty
Miss S. c. Geary, in her capacity as
southern California, is perhaps in a /
better position than any one else 20
Judge of the situation for, as she says
IF there are any kicks coming, they
are always made first to the automo
bile club" Miss Geary quoted a mum
Der of instances where tourists who are
enthusiastic automobilists had intend
ed to make their homes in Southern
California. but when they found such
absurdly low speed limits on the long
stretches of beautiful country roads
and that it was worse than a Chinese
puzzle to keep informed of a differ
ent speed limit in every town they en-
tered they lost interest in our South
Hand. In conclusion, Miss Geary quoted
letter which the automobile club had
recently received from Frank Remy. |
the well known magnetic manufacturer.
1t said
Il may say that 1 do not ever ex-
pect to bring cars to California again |
on account of the strict laws regard
ing the driving of cars around Los |
Angeles.
While driving a passenger car
altng the foothill boulevard out Of |
Los Angeles last spring and when I
had my aged parents with me / was
arrested twice and neither time was
there a car or cross road in sight.
When / came to California last win
ter with two cars and my family if
was with a view of possibly locating
there but when found that il was i'm.
possible to enjoy automobiling there a.
we do here We lost interest in Southern
California"
The intercity commission recognized
the fact, as does every resident OF
southern California, that the yearly in
fuX of tourists to our Southland is an
enormous financial benefit to this part
of the country, and that anything thai
can be done consistently with a view
toward benefitting both the residents
and guests of Southern California is an
act which every city government should
feel incumbent upon it to uphold. Con-
sidering the dissatisfaction now felt