Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-07

| driving hts automobile down Broadway
at an excessive rate of speed now gets
a summons TO court just the same as
a poor man might II he disobeyed the
regulation.
The police have the people of New
York back of them in this matter now
all sorts OF people. Another for
tunate thing is that Police Commits
sioner Woods is back of the idea. ana
he has put into effect new traffic reg
ulations suggested by the committees
Of the Safety First Association.
Streets Closed to Vehicular Traffic.
Why. in New York now. we close
twenty-five streets in the congested
East Side districts to vehicular traffic
every afternoon from 3 to o'clock,
so that the children may play in them.
There are absolutely no vehicles al
lowed in those streets between those
hours. and, moreover, the streets are
flushed with water, early in the morn
ing. while the residents are asleep, so
that the streets may he reasonably
clean for the children to play in, too.
wv hat you need here i'll Washington
at points Of congestion i'll traffic is a
traffic census. l am surprised that
none has ever been made here Many
cities of the United States have had
them taken In order TO meet YOUR
y
how many people, how many wagons,
how many horses, how many automo-
biles pass a given point within GER
tain time. Such census ought TO be
taken semi annually, and you ought
to build your traffic regulations on the
results you ascertain.
I'm Detroit they took u traffic census
at Woodward avenue and Michigan
avenue. September "A last. The result
was astounding. They didn't believe
it possible that SO much traffic could
use that corner. In one .,our, from )
to s O'Clock. SASS pedestrians. 61S au-
tom obiles. thirty mine horse drawn We
hicles and 500 street cars passed that
point.
Policy Adopted in Chicago.
In Chicago. Capt. c. C. Healy is head
of the traffic division of the police de-
partLent. He was sent to Europe by
the Association of Commerce to OBJ
serve conditions there, and when he
came back he brought ten recommen-
dations, only one of which the coun-
ellis in Chicago refused to put into eff
feet. That was to regulate pedestrians
no less than that, for Heaiy found
it is successfully done abroad. Mayor
harrison. who was in favor of the reg
ulation. directed that Il traffic census
be made at State and Madison streets,
IN the loop district, point acknowl-
traffic center in the whole world. Two
hundred thousand people cross that
spot each day.
After taking the census. they start
ed to regulate the pedestrians, TO oblige
them to cross the streets at the cross
ings. and not any Old way, lodging in
and out. They operated that regula-
ton twenty-five days, starting out
with sixteen expert traffice policemen.
That was at noon, and at ; O'Clock in
ffAr hs..t
SO familiar with the plan that Capt.
Healy was able to withdraw twelve of
his traffic men. leaving only four to
direct the work.
ut proved conclusive1f that you can
change human nature. They crossed
in the safety zones, at the crossings,
and the danger of accident was great
ly minimiZed. and the percentage of
accidents greatly decreased
The argument is plain: After you
once start the people to doing thing,
they VIII continue to do 1t,
Ordinance to Be Permanent.
There was only one arrest i'll the
whole twenty-five days. and l am in
formed that the Chicago councils will
pass the ordinance making the regula-
ton a permanent thing. capt. Healy
tells me that - per cent of all the ac
cideuts that happen in cities happen
in the middle of streets. the middle of
blocks. where people should not cross,
should not be"
ogden l.. Mills is president Of the
SafetE First Society OF New York.
Among the officers are such men as
ogden Mills Reid. Cen Howard Carroil
and others William Phelps Emo of
Washington and New York, interna-
tioually known as Il traffic expert, IS
one Of the trustees of the organiza-