Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-16
REGULATING THE AUTO


kpectire and humor.
Some of the measures proposed for regulating
traffic in Honolulu, especially automobile traf-
fic. are not far from absurd and one of them is
the plan to make all autos, under all circum-
stances, come to full stop when abreast of
standing street-car. r - e-,sae~ r
a communication in this. mornings paper
from an autoowner and driver is logical and
fight to the point There should be reason in
all things On the narrow and congested streets
II is not out of place toaenforce the fullstop
plan, but on broad suburban roads there is no
need for it, ~l,..%... a
A little investigation of the traffic ordinances
ia other cities would be of value to those inter
ested in Honolulu's traffic problem. Here. are
few typical examples:
In Chicago
eThe driver OF a vehicle oyertaking a street-car
shaI exercise the greatest in passing not TO {
Interfere with or iniure passengers who may board
o. alight from said cars
In New York s.
I'm overtaking or meeting street passenger car
which has been stopped for the purpose Of receiving
or discharging a passenger or passengers, no such
vehicle aforesaid shall pass approach within eight
feet Of said streetcar long the same is stopped
IN St. Paul full stop Of all vehicles h required
Al least ten feet behind streetscars stopped for
fsneers, This applies to the where the traffic
since chicago's ordinance, mentioned above,
vas passed, a series of experiments showed that
. change was advisable and provision is now
favored b. Mayor Harrison which requires
that space Of at least eight feet shall be pre-
sesFcd at all times between a street passenger
car which has been stopped to receive or dis
lharee passengers, and any vehicle. If the space
81 eight feet cannot be preserved, the vehicle
must be brought to full stop.
In various cities the distances that vehicles
mist keep away from a car stopping for passen
gers varies from four to twenty feet
such are typical ordinances in American cit,
les. Reinforcing the .sfullstop' .or ,sssemistop'
provisions are other sections requiring vehicles,
PARTICULARLY autos, to move at q very slow pace
while passing street-cars; sections giving right
of-wav to pedestrians ON treetIrossings except
FOR periodical movement Of yehicular traffic;
sections requiring that autos and other vehicles
s|Iall not follow one another in quick succession
Except at slow pace and with five TO twenty
feet between the front of one vehicle and the
rear Of the next preceding
There is no reason why Honolulu cannot
work out a reasonable traffic law, one that will
safeguard both the pedestrian and the vehicle.
The ssfullstop' ordinance is not practicable if
applied throughout the city and under all condi'
tons. What is needed is a provision that will
require autos and other vehicles to travel at
particularly slow rate when passing street-cars
stopped for passengers, which will require We
hieles to stay safely away (perhaps ten feet
from street-cars or else come to a stop, which
will prevent string of autos from racing along
fhicklypopulated streets and past cars from
which people are attempting to alight or which
they are attempting TO board
The reputable auto-owners can do much TO
Eliminate the dangerous driver, but the police
and the police court can do infinitely more. In
Germany, according to recently gathered Stats
ties, there were about 1900 people killed during
the last year period by autos and motorcy-
cIes In the United States more than twice that
number we're killed in the last year alone. Ger,
many has made remarkably effective study of
vehicle traffic and its regulation and the splen-
did record set by, the empire is due, according to
the American Statistical Association, to an en-
forceInent of the law that means something. The
AssociatioI's report for September. 1913, says:
aThe certainty of accountability, and the
knowledge that punishment will be swift and
sure for disregard of the law must act as pow
effuI deterrent and for the, good use of the
streets and roads of Germany
y .