Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-04-24
Motorists And Legislation.
From The Carroll Record.

industry IS "on the job" legislatively, we
quote the following paragraphs from the
Legislative bulletin" just issued by the
Automobile Club of Maryland" as pre-
pared by the counsel to the club. Our
readers can judge as to whether or not the
motoring interests conflict in any sense
with the interests of general taxpayers
and whether they did actual lobbying
against the peoples interest:
The Automobiles of the State can now
breathe freely for another two years. The
The Legislature at this session gave the
motorists of the State nothing of any
material value, but, on the other hand, it
took nothing from them.
IN all there were thirty-two bills at this
session touching motoring and motorists in
this State directly or indirectly. These bills
had to be watched carefully from January
list. the date on which the first of them
was introduced, down until the closing
hour of the session. To do this satisfac-
torily had one man at Annapolis the en-
tire session, employed another to report to
me almost every day the course of bills
under observation. made number of trips
to Annapolis myself. and during the last
week of the session kept one Of my Office
assistants at Annapolis day and night.
Three of the bills in which we were in
terested were reported and put through on
the very last day of the session under sus-
pension of the rules. although had been
trying for weeks to get them out of COM
mittees. shall not attempt in this report
to enumerate in detail all the measures in
which we were interested but will confine
myself to statement of net results.
Three bills were passed which insure
the speedy completion of the Annapolis
Baltimore Boulevard, House Bill No. S.
requiring the State Roads Commission to
take over and rebuild the College Creek
bridge. near Annapolis. and complete the
road to the Severn River bridge; and No.
545. the Price Road Bill. appropriating
sum sufficient to insure the reconstruction
of the Light Street bridge along modern
lines A third bill, No. 757. Mr.. Stewart,
was passed requiring the State Roads Com
mission, by January LIST, 1915. to complete
the Boulevard northerly from Glen Burnie
to Baltimore city. this being a route alter
native with that over the Light Street
bridge.
ION March 2lst. the Price Road Bill, No.
545. was substituted for the Veasey Road
Bill, No. 81. and provides for a loan Of
$6,600,000 to be expended by the State
Roads Commission in connecting up the
links in the State Roads System. This Act
is of tremendous importance to the motorists
of the State, as well as to the public gen.
orally. and ii is expected that by the end
of two years. it will be possible to motor
through every county in the State over a
connected system of modern improved
roads.
Speaker Trippe's bill. No. $40. author
izing the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles
to employ motorcycle patrOlmen to en-
force the motor vehicle and traffic laws of
the State was passed. The Act requires
the Commissioner, upon the demand of
any community. to send such patrolmen to
stop excessive speeding 1t is confidently
believed that this Act will put an end to
village speed-traps in this State forever.
and inaugurate an era Of a rational en-
forcement of the motor vehicle and traffic
laws of the State. The speed laws now
in force are liberal enough for any reason
ableminded mOtorist; twelve. eighteen.
twenty-five and thirty-five miles. The Com
missioner of Motor Vehicles is a gentleman
of calm. deliberate temperament. possessed
of high sense of justice. and full of de-
termination to enforce the law reasonably,
but still to enforce it, All reasonable mo-
florists in the State will be pleased with
the results of this law il il comes anywhere
near realizing the expectations of its franz
ers.
THE bill introduced by Senator Mudd,
Senate Bill, No. 1879. was prepared at the
instance of the State Roads Commission
primarily to limit the size. weight and
speed OF motor-trucks. Incidentally, as
originally prepared. it contained maxi
mum speed limit of twenty-five miles per
hour on the State roads. Being good
bill in the main. it was amended and made
applicable to public roads generally as well
as State roads, and the speed limit was
raised to thirty-fve miles. The bill was
passed in this form. A speed of over
thirty-fve miles per hour is now prohibited
anywhere in the State, no matter what
may be the circumstances or conditions.
AS the law now stands, it prohibits an
unreasonable speed at any time. In the
thickly built-up or business sections of
cities. towns and villages. a speed in ex-
cess of twelve miles an hour is deemed
prima facie unreasonable. In the portions
Of such which are not thckly buIlt-up,
speed in excess Of eighteen miles an hour
will be deemed unreasonable. In the open
country a speed in excess Of twenty-five
miles per hour will be deemed unreasOn-
able and the burden placed upon the mo-
under all the circumstances of the case.
But speed in excess Of thirty-fve
miles per hour, as above stated. is abso-
lutey prohibited. and no excuse will be
accepted. A violation Of this provision
will result. upon conviction. in a fine Of
not less than $25 nor more than 500. and
suspension Of the operators license for
three months. if upon hearing, the Com
missioner Of Motor Vehicles shall deter
mine that such speed was in fact exceeded.
Senator Benson's bill, No. 387. providing
for the erection Of sign posts on important
thoroughfares was passed. The bill calls
for signs on which shall be plainly marked
the name Of the next town or place. and