New-York tribune., 1913-07-27
Flanders Says Regulation of
Traffic Must Include Per-
sons on Foot.
EUROPEAN LAWS ARE GOOD
Famous Auto Builder Believes
New York Handles Situation
Better than Any Other
City in Country.

We will never De dDIe " leuuOo 'ho
-,,r,bsr OF street accidents from auto
-,obiles trolley cars and other vehicles
,r,g we make and enforce proper trafHc
regulations in cities" Gays Walter f.
FLANDERS, president Of the Maxwell
Motor Company. Of Detroit
ows have traffic regulations most Of
rb,cb tend to impede traffic and 70 null
t,nlv the congestion at busy points. The
uss in the minds OF our police commits
s,o,ers seems TO be that any regulation
that impedes progress and aggravates
The automobile driver must be a good
one
81 am not referring to Detroit We have
better traffic regulations here than in any
o,bsr city know. with the possible ex-
ception Of New York Even there they
send vehicular traffic by roundabout ways
st Herald Square, Times Square and
other points. thus creating congestion at
four or five places instead Of the original
one But they do adopt the plan of
burryfng trafic past such points instead
OF slowing II up, as is the custom in most
cities. Faster! Faster signals the
metropolitan traffic 'cOp'-and he passes
four times as many rigs by his post as
our Detroit officers take care OF in the
same space.
"But I did not mean to refer 20 traffic
regulations Of vehicles. We have plenty
OF them, such as they are. That is not
the solution. Automobiles are increasing
and viii continue 10 increase. Traffic will
Increase, and street crossings become
more and IT, dangerous The average
business man covers three times the
ground in q day that ne used 70 in pre-
motoring days. So there IS three times
the traffic in our streets. despite the fact
that the rapid moving motor vehicles
would naturally have decreased the con-
gestion were there only one automobile
former days.
"The remedy is in proper traffic regula-
tions for pedestrians-rigidly enforced.
That they have such regulations and do
enforce them rigidly is the reason why
there IS q smaller percentage Of ecci-
dents in European cities.
"Of course, we Americans think Il very
funny that in Paris and Berlin, for ex-
ample, the pedestrian who gets run over
or knocked down by vehicle is arrested
instead Of the driver OF the vehicle. It
isn't so ridiculous after all In the first
place, the driver is arrested as often as
the pedestrian. II the driver has been at
fault But mostly II IS the pedestrians
fault He has been violating a well de-
fined trafic ordinance, in the enforce
ment Of which he must play his part and
contribute his share Of intelligence.
In this country we say the pedestrian
has the right OF way. And in principle
that theory is right Some eminent think
ers protest that a man has the right 20
commit suicide n he wants 10, but our
laws make the attempt a misdemeanor.
The same rule applies-or should apply
to traffic regulations. We should protect
the careless. thoughtless pedestrian
against himself by making II a misde-
meanor % violate the traffic regulations
just as # now is for the driver Of a truck
o. an automobile 70 do so.
People cross the street at all points
In the block and at all angles The traffic
officer stops streetcars and automobiles
to let them cross, and when he signals
the vehicles 10 proceed you will see men,
women and children rushing across In
front Of motor vehicles. The pedestrian
Insists on his right 10 commit suicide
and dares the motorist TO thrwart him"