Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-01
THE PEOPLES FORUM
SAFETY ON BRIDGE
fh' Editor Of the Telegrabh:

10 TIE Editor of The Telegrdbh:
L desire space in your columns 20
say word in favor of protection to
pedestrians on the sidewalks of the
Mulberry street bridge. l am one
OF the thousands of pedestrians who
are daily using the bridge in going
10 and returning from the city,
though for fifteen years / used the
bridge, operating an automobile, and
hcnce know whereof / am speaking
In canvassing this subject of safety
on the Mulberry street bridge the
question at once arises, Why are not
the pedestrians on the sidewalks of
this Viaduct as well protected and as
safe as those on the sidewalks of
our streets in any part of our city?
Inc driveway on the bridge is as
wide as most of our streets. 1t is
unobstructed from end to end by the
parking of automobiles or by inter-
secting streets. There are no street
railway tracks or cars on the bridge.
There are no piles of lumber or
| stone or brick or boxes of merchan-
disc on it. No loading or unloading
OF merchandise, building material
nor even delivery teams. No auto
mobiles or jitneys stop along the
sidewalks on the bridge to receive
or discharge passengers. The curbs
are as high as any in the city. The
traffic regulations are as clear, as
stringent and as easily obeyed as
those enforced in other parts of the
city. In view of these unquestioned
facts, why is it not as safe for Pc
destrians on the sidewalks of the
! bridge as on any sidewalks in Har-
risburg? Why do the pedestrians
on this Viaduct need any special pro-
lection, other than they have else
where, in order to make 1t as safe
to walk over the bridge as to walk
on any pavement in the city? The
! answer is evident. They need great
er protection simply because of the
constant disregard and violation of
traffic regulations. This was the
case in the recent fatal accident on
the bridge. And so far as the pub
lie knows, no arrests have been made
and no one has been punished for
that crime. If the ordinances ap-
| plicable to Vehicular traffic on the
| bridge were rigidly enforced lnd
violators of them were arrested and
summarily punished, the sidewalks
on the bridge should be safer than
! those on any street of the city. The
bridge can be made perfectly safe
| for pedestrians by the strict enforce
ment of existing traffic regulations.
II not. let more stringent regulations
be adopted and impartially enforced
! Higher curbs on the bridge are not
needed to make it perfectly safe for
uny child on it's sidewalks. 1t is the
reckless speeding, the running ahead
of other vehicles on high gear, and
the passing of overtaken vehicles
which endanger the lives of pedes-
trians on the bridge. Our city au-
! thorities know how to prevent these
infractions of ordinances. Let them
! fearlessly do their whole duty in this
particular, and the end desired will
be attained. Obedience to law Is
our highest security. Why should it
be necessary to erect physical bar
riers to force the lawless to obey
the law or to prevent the conse-
quences of their law-defying acts :?
The law and it's penalties rigidly en-
| forced will give US the protection we
noed. Our earnest plea is for such
protection, for which there Is, we
believe, ample provision.