Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-06-18
TOMMYROT

ana WllllC CalKlnP ABOUT iutC!loUiit
driving, it might not come amlss td
repeat sentiments Expressed on this
page last SUMMERTIME nonsense ex'
pressed in some of the speed signs al
the entrances to our towns and vii
lagos.
We know where there are q dozer
towns in Vermont whose signs read;
"Specd Limit Six Miles an Hour
What's the use of putting up such
a sign, anyway? Everybody knows
it won't be obcycd. There are reput-
| able machines who can't cut down
their speed to six miles an hour and
work smoothly and no normal red
bloodcd person is going to poke along
at that rate, anyhow. 1t isn't human
to have the patience. Even ten miles
is an aggrcvation and fifteen only
plausible.
Down through New Hampshire
there are q lot Of signs:
"Motorists! Please Drive at a Rea-
sonable Rate of Speed Through our
Village" which accomplish their pur-
pose far better than lot of baldcr-
dash about "blank miles per hour or
go to Jail" One sign in Vermont
reads: "Spced Limit Ten Miles Per
Hour. WE ENFORCE THIS! Per
order The Selectmen." And all you
can see of the town is three houses,
a store and two cemeteries. The
motorist knows from the look of the
place that the warning is farce and
toots through at sixty per.
All this speed literature needs edit
ing badly. AS matter of fact, tho
time is rapidly approaching when our
auto laws should be made uniform for
all states, cities and towns, for auto
touring is becoming an interstate af-
fair. A man on tour may drive at
one speed through one town and the
same speed in the next community be
a felony. He gets into one city and
finds they have rules and regulations
he never heard Of, but he has to pay
his fine just the same if the traffic
cop catches him breaking them.
We should have a uniform, nation
al, sane and reasonable set of auto
laws as fair to the autoist as the gen.
eral public. The speed in the open
country should be at least 35 miles
per hour and in settled districts 20
miles. In ultra-crowded streets any
sane motorist knows what speed is
best, specified speed is unnecessary.
A safety zone of eight feet should be
around trolley car anywhere OK
,cpting very narrow thoroughfarcs.
A car going less than 35 miles an
1our shall be compelled to turn aside
md give another car behind ample
DOM to pass if the car behind desires
road hogs poking along principally
n small cars are as responsible for
many of the present auto accidents
Is the aggravated people in larger
.ars behind who want to travel fast
II and take a chance of shooting past.
Jars proceeding on wide main thor
'ughfares ought to have the right of
way over cars turning out from side
treets instead of the absurd "Car at
he Right" law of the present, and
'eople turning out from side streets
ught to make sure the way is clear
efore doing so. Furthermore, driv-
rs should be absolved from blame {
'hen striking pedestrians who use
he public highways for sidewalks or
lifting teams which travel at night
'ithout light prominently display
d. {
The time has arrived when the t
uto needs interstate regulation the
anne as the railroad. 1t is not right
Dr. a set oftwo-by-four, narrow-chest- t
d, wall-eyed selectmen in some Po- g
unk community to play ball with S