The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-01-08
SAYS LAW WON'T
 UPHOLD PROPOSED
 TRAFFIC ORDINANCE
Former Representative and Att torney Disparages Effort of
 Automobile Club

ITO limit the right of the public to walk on the streets has never been attempted in this state." declared At torney Joshua Me1tzer at a public hearing in the common council cham ber last night on the ordinance which the Automobile Club of Bridgeport proposes to regulate traffic. It is their legitimate right and the propos-l ed ordinance is not only absurd but it could. never be upheld in law"
 .'Original1y man walked and there are still many men who walk. Man has learned to drive an autonobile. The automobile Is a. dangerous agency it is not an intelligent thing. Man is, and for this reason the limitation should be placed on the autonobile.'' s "Mr. Stoddard who spoke previous ly in favor of this law has said that the tendency would be to avoid acci- dents. We have laws now and the automobiles do not obey them. There is a law prohibiting auton obiles pass ing a standing trolley car. Yet acci-- dents happen when autopobiIes are passing standing trolley cars.
 eff you establish regular crossing places that's where the accidents will be- Give the automobdIist more rights and he will be less careful. Ac- cidei1ts will multiply instead of di- Hninfsh- It will be the pedestrians fault if he is hit then. If anyone is I Let him go round the block if nec- essary to get t0 his destination as he is required to do by the Tight and heavy traffic ordinances in force in New Y oFI city. He can do this much more easily and quickly than can the pedestrian ''
 Attorney Me1tzer said after the hearing that he appea4ed only as a private citizen in the public interest. The ordinance which the Autom obile Club proposes would forbid a pedes- tria-n crossing a street at any point except a street intersection or regu- larIy known crosswaIk. It would also give the right of way to traffic going north and south over that travelling in any other direction.
 In arguing in favor of the propos- ed ordinance, Attorney Sanford Stod-. dard said the tendency of the law would be to lessen accidents He said Bridgeport was no longer a big yil- lage where the citizens might wander about with their hands in their pockets thinking of their suppers or some other equally pleasant thingsS
 Tt won't be necessary to make wholesale arrests to enforce this or dinance," he said. If people are re- minded concerning where they ought not to go the chances are they won't be hit. I've seen so many cases the resnlts of accidents so much suffer- ing caused in families by deaths through accidents and so much ter rjbIe remorse on the part of auto mobile owners who have hit some body as the result Of this indiscrimi- nate wandering about the streets. that I think the time has come to adopt such an ordinances
 Frank q. Staples. president of the Automobile Club of Bridgeport, also spoke in favor of the ordinance He said that Coroner Phe1an favored it also and intended to be at the hear ing but his business prevented
 Joseph Quint opposed the ordi- nance. He said the tendency would be to make the automo ohi1ists less careful and at present the auto own CT was to blame for accidents in nine out of ten cases
 J. w Drew said the ordinance if enforced would cost the city $10, 900, as it would mean an increase in the police force. He declared the use of the city streets to be the inaIienalble right of the pedestrian and if this were not so the city would not be in- habited. The ordinance eolnmittee discussed the arguments advanced for and against the measure but made no decision last evening"