The Washington times., 1917-07-05
More Speed for the Autos or More
Protection for the Children?
By DAVID LAWRENCE.


The temptation is to speed And twelve miles hour
is absurd minimum The District Commissioners have
finally obtained from Congress authority to make reg
uatiOns. Hereafter the Commissioners will be allowed to
make changes without consulting Congress- which is it
should be- for Congress has already had to be asked too
often whenever anybody wanted to tree paint
picket fence in WASHINGTON.
But the Commissioners while possessing since July /,
the authority to proclaim the regulations will not it is
to be hoped, hasten the matter.
Public hearings ought be held so that every interest
may be represented and every kind of suggestion made 1t
is well to set down here general principles In the
first place. travelling twelve miles hour any automobile
effort pleasure 1t is next impossible maintain
that low speed and doesn't enable who auto for
business purposes get around quickly do the people
in other cities But there is minimum speed which
safe for the pedestrian and fast enough for the motor
ist. Eighteen miles hour would to
be enough There are those to be sure who
will argue that it ought to be raised to twenty miles,
but if they recall their own experiences with the accel
orator. they will discover that while the law has permitted
only twelve miles hour everybody has been going fifteen
to eighteen miles hour streets outside of the business
section If the speed is fixed at twenty miles hour motor
lists will be tempted to go twenty-five and that is much too
dangerous for the pedestrian Even granting that the
emergency brake be used it is much difficult to
slow down for the benefit of pedestrian when is d
ing twenty-five miles hour than it at the eighteen
twenty rate And after all it is the interest of the
pedestrian that must be conserved.
Children playing in the street viii dart the front
automobile matter how much they have been warned
and matter how loudly you toot in warning the speed
limit is made eighteen miles hour motorists will be
ming twenty miles hour but will not dare much
that They slow down at that speed within few feet Of
pedestrian After all the speed limit should be determined
by the by which brakes be effectively applied and
accidents avoided Such regulation must be based the
skill of the average driver, not the expert.
Many persons will advocate limit of twenty-five miles
hour the ground that it is permitted in other cities
There parts of WASHINGTON, long blocks, where
twenty-five miles hour would not be dangerous speed
The Commissioners could designate Sixteenth street. for
example, of these insisting that autos slow down to
fifteen eighteen miles hour at ntersecng streets,
especially those with lines
But whatever regulations made should be conspicu
without thorough publicity The police deserve the cooper
alton of the public when the regulations
nounced Heretofore there has been much complaint
Just what these regulations No two policemen have
always seemed agree about it. With respect to the parking
of cars for example, there should be the most explicit def
milton Signs should be placed indicating exactly where it
possible to leave autos The display of 'No Parking
signs by private individuals should be forbidden or at least
should be devised of distinguishing between
absolutely prohibited by the police regulations and
wherein the of property simply requests that
of the violations of the law during the past year
least have been due ignorance the part of the moos
of what the law really