The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-06-06
GOOD ROADS VS..
NARROW TIRES
CHAIRMAN OF AMERICAN AUTO
MOBILE ASSOCIATION OF GOOD
ROADS SUGGESTS CHANGES.

| of horse drawn and motor driven
| trucks is the suggestion of Chairman
George c. Diehl of the \. \. A. Ma
| tional Good Roads Board, who con-
tends that the time has arrived when
those interests can adyantageously
discuss the drafting of suitable legis-
lation governing the width Of tires
and the weight of loads. After an
interchange of views a committee
could prepare laws, the passage of
which would be practically assured
when put forward by the chief high
way officers of the various states.
Many states have enacted laws
which endeayor to regulate the width
Of tires of vehicles. but unfortunate
ly there has not been strict enforce
mCnt of these regulations" says
Chairman Diehl. The width of
tires is one of the important factors
in highway construction and mainten-
ance. Narrow tires, especially dur
ing the wet season, form ruts in i'm
where the roads are weak, break
through the surface, with the subse-
Quent rapid destruction of the high
way.
cone great difficulty in enforcing
wide tire ordinances with horse
drawn vehicles has been that while
less traction is required with wide
tires, on slippery clay or hilly roads
it is very difficult in wet weather to
manage a horse drawn vehicle with
wide tires, owing to its tendency to
skid and slide into the bitches. In
stances are frequent where in
journey a farmer must drive over
miles of slippery road and only have
a few miles of improved highway, in
which case he would naturally prefer
to use narrow tires for the entire
distance, rather than to attempt the
use of wide tires over the slippery
section of the road.
There is no question that protec-
tion and economical maintenance Of
improved highways require that mar
row tires should be discarded, and
ordinances must be enforced which
will prevent the use on main travel
ed highways which have been i'm
proved at great expense. If a We
hcle owner desires to use narrow
tire wagons on slippery roads, lie
must be absolutely prevented from
using the same tires on improved
roads Equal, if not greater, dam
age can be done to the highway with
tires of insufficient width on motor
trucks. There is no state where
wide tire ordinances are drawn which
relate to both horse drawn and motor
driven vehicles, or where a scientific
attempt has been made to prepare
such ordinances or where a strict en-
forcement is had
1T is also entirely practicable and
reasonable that the weight of loads
should be limited, as the bridges
which form an integral part of the
highway are not, in great majority
of cases, sufficiently strong to carry
weights which are becoming more
and more excessive. 1t must be rec
ognized that it is impossible, within
any reasonable time, to reconstruct
thousands of bridges. There should
be legislation in all of the states lin
iting the weight of loads and pre-
scribing the width of tires, and spec
flying an adequate and reasonable
method of strictly enforcing such
regulations. AS far as possible, the
laws in the various states should be
uniform, with view that the manu-
facturers of wagons and motor trucks
may be guided in their construction
OF vehicles.
Another traffic factor which should
be the subject of uniform legislation
or regulation is the carrying of lights
on vehicles at night. Nearly all au-
tomobile laws require front and rear
lights on motor driven vehicles. In
some of the more populous sections,
such as New York and Connecticut,
many drivers of horses use lights,
without the legal requirement, as a
matter of self protection That all
do not do so emphasizes the need for
laws on the subject. With the travel
on the roads constantly increasing
there is no reason why lives and
property should be endangered by
absence of lights on any class of We
hicles."