The Washington herald., 1912-06-02
new MOTOR VEHICLE
LAWS DISCUSSED
Touring Club of America Suggests
that Speed Limit be specih.
cally Defined.

tor vehicle trafic soon to be adopted
1 by the Board Of Aldermen Of the City
Of New York.
The Touring Club Of America has sub
! mltted a brief suggesting that speed
limit not 70 exceed twenty miles per
hour should be specifically defined IN
order that the ordinance can be enec-
lively enforced.
/ The absolute necessity for such an
ordinance was Immediately recognized
by the New York authorities when the
special committee OF the Board OF Alder
men was announced. with Hon. Ralph
Folks, majority leader, as chairman.
Much credit Is due Chairman Folks for
the aggresiveness Of the investigation
conducted by this committee from a
practical point Of view.
That the present city ordinance, which
] prescribes a speed OF eight and fifteen
miles an hour. is obsolete, is conceded
upon all sides, especially as there Sc
! scarcely an automobile driven in New
York at the present time without vio-
lRting the city's speed ordinance.
At the request Of Chairman Folks, OF
/ the special Aldermanic committee the
Touring Club, through its legislative
committee, consisting OF Charles R. Nc
Mmen. Foster Gilroy. and Secretary
| Frederick H. Elliott, has recommended
4 that the ordinance should be based upon
section 2s7 Of the motor vehicle law OF
the State of New York. known as the
CaIlsn law, with the exception Of the
substitution Of "one-eighth' for "One-
fourth" in the last paragraph. The new
city ordinance as proposed would read
as follows:
mo motor vehicle shall be operated
at a rate OF speed in excess Of or greater
than is reasonable and proper, having
lrregard for the traffic and the use Of
the highway, or so as to endanger the
life or limb Of any person and the safe
ty Of any property. or in any event
/ on any such public street, highway,
parkway, driveway or place within the
said City Of New York, at a greater
rate than one mile In three minutes;
and the maintenance OF greater rate
of speed for one-eighth of a mile shall
be presumptive evidence OF driving at
rate Of speed which is not careful
and prudent"
In support OF a twenty-mile speed
limit, attention is directed to the local
government board of Great Britain,
which has promulgated an order to the
effect that no motor car shall be driven
at a speed exceeding twenty miles an
hour. On convictions for the first offense
the fine shall not exceed slO; the second
offense s20, and any subsequent offense
ESQ. but a person shall not be convicted
under this regulation for exceeding the
limit Of speed merely on the opinion Of
one witness as TO the rate OF speed.
In France the speed limit in the open
country is thirty kilometers or 1884
miles per hour, and when passing
through villages twenty kilometers, or
14O3 miles per hour.
Comparison has been made between
the motor vehicle regulations Of the
cities Of Buffalo and Rochester. which
with New York City, include the cities
of the first class in the Empire State.
In Buffalo the rate Of speed for motor
vehicles varies, in accordance with the
speed zones designated by the authOri-
ties, the highest speed allowed being
eighteen miles an hour. Practically the
same provisions prevail in Rochester.
One Of the important recommendations
contained in the Touring Clubs brief Is
that the new ordinance should convey
the necessary authority to the Police
Commissioner Of the City OF New York
to designate such street intersections as
may be deemed proper. where the trafhc
police shall have the same Jurisdiction
over pedestrians as they have at present
over drivers Of all vehicles. Such an
ordinance will soon be adopted in Chi
cago upon the recommendation Of Capt.
C. c. Healy, Of the Chicago mounted
police.
In Kansas City, Mo, a similar ordi-
nance has been enacted, enabling the
police to control pedestrians the same
as they do drivers Of vehicles in the
downtown district. This new regulation
has been in force for the past month,
and has proved very satisfactory, its
chief advantage being the safety af-
forded not only to the pedestrians, but
to the drivers Of all vehicles, there be-
ing no congestion at principal street in
tersections. There is penalty Of $ to
so for violations or the ordinance by
pedestrians.
The Touring Club further suggests q
provision which would require drivers OF
motor vehicles to exercise precaution in
approaching street cars, as follows:
I'm approaching or passing a car Of a
street railway, which has stopped to al
low passengers to alight or embark, the
operator of every motor vehicle shall
slow down. and II it be necessary for the
safety Of the public, he shall bring said
vehicle TO a fun stop
Reference is made TO the trafic regu-
Iations Of Rochester, n. Y. which require
at least four feet from the running board
or step Of any surface car, which has
stopped for the purpose Of taking on or
discharging passengers, and shall slow
down and bring the vehicle under control
and pass the surface car with care for
the safety of the passengers alighting
from or getting on said car. II, owing
to the presence Of other vehicles or by
reason Of the narrowness Of the street,
1t is not possible to preserve the distance
stated, the driver Of said vehicle shall
stop the same until the car shall have
started.
The Touring Club also calls attention
to the provision in the CaIlan law Of New
York in regard to signals and other de-
vices, especially pertaining to the display
Of lamps on the front and rear of all
motor vehicles during the period of one
half hour after sunset to one-haf hour
before sunrise. With the rigid enforce
ment by the New York police Of this
law, there would be no necessity for any
recommendation for special lighting de-
vices on motor vehicles in New York
or any other city. Automobile owners
should be more thoroughly informed as
to the provisions of the Callan law, which
in many respects are ideal, and have
after careful examination been adopted
by other commonwealths and municipali-
ties.
That there is fragrant violation in the
city of New York Of the light provision
is easily proved by a casual inspection
Of automobiles during any evening.
Every operator of a motor vehicle !
should be compelled by the police to COM
ply with this section Of the law. especially
as regards the rear light, which should
be clean and of sufficient power to illu-
inmate clearly the license number III
this were done there would be no oppor-
tunity in the event of accidents for
drivers TO get away without being detect |