The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-14
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HASIIH. Director.
Washington, d. c.
UNCLE SANS TRAFFIC PROBLEM


washington, D. C, Aug. 1.-THE
visitor to New York is always warned
against the hazards of crossing a street
without the personal assistance of
policeman, yet the records show
greater number of accidents per capita
in Washington than in perilous New
York
From the beginning of its history,
the national capital has always held
the reputation of being a collection
of parks and marble buildings. the
whole EMBODIED in a languid southern
atmosphere. For over a hundred years
this description was more or less ac-
curate.
Then, suddenly. war tore some
100000 stenographers and newly
homes and landed them in the thick
of the battle at the administrative
front. The onrush of volunteers from
New York, Pittsburgh. and all points
west, damned the capital to its utmost
capacity, and the city began to know
what heavy traffic really was. By the
time suitable traffic regulations were
worked out and put into effect the
shooting was about over. Since then
Washington has recovered little of
its old-time tranquility, but it will
never be the same.
Washington as the war left it is full
of traffic cops. street signs, Parking
regulations. and rules for crossing a
street. 1t has a crowded business sec
tions- and its circles, which Major
L'Enfant laid out to be emergency
forts, have become modified race
tracks, around which automobiles
scoot in rapid succession, while
pedestrians await slack moment on
the curb. or run the gauntlet by hop
ping in and out among the vehicles.
A new idea for making life on the
street safer is put across every few
weeks. Yet pedestrians continue to
| be jay-walkers, many autoists fail-to
stop at points where passengers are
mount
Tourists Are Careless.
The city's traffic troubles are largely
| due to the character of its population.
Flocks of tourists are perpetually wan
derlng about with their eyes lifted to
the dome of the capitol. and their
| brains buzzing with plans for meeting
a favorite statesman.
Then there is official Washington
the ambassadors, cabinet officers.
congressman and political figures.
| These people with their families are
| always coming and going. Traffic
rules are fairly similar all over the
| country, and in the larger foreign
cities, but Washington has local pc
| euliarities which some dignitaries
never learn until they are about to
leave it. Infractions of the law COM
/
sentatives are called to the attention of
the state department. Only home
| grown officials are subject to the laws.
| Publicity is given to accidents as a
warning to the people, and the police
| department has started a campaign to
+ teach the children caution. In the Of
flee of Capt. Albert Headley of the
city traffic department, there is a map
of the city all dotted over with numer-
| Gus coIored pins. The map is the cap
a n
where a street accident occurred. A
red pin means the death of an automo-
bile passenger or driver a pink pin
means a pedestrian killed. Yellow
means injury to the driver; white, in
jury to a pedestrian; green, damaged
property; and black, no serious con-
sequences.
'These pins show traffic accidents
only for the past four months" Cap
tain Headley explained. From the
map we can tell where accidents are
most frequent Then We study tho
cause and try to remove it.
Turn to the Right.
Washington has so many acute an
giles, due to avenues that run diagona
to the streets. and motorists coming
together at these angles are apt tC
collide before they take account OF
each other. Then. there are the cir
cles, with six or eight streets running
into them. all pouring vehicles into
the space around the circle. At one
time, vehicles coHld go in any direc
ton around these circles Now, o
course, they must bear to the right
and even then the circles are rea
danger zones.
AT Scott Circle. for instance. few
blocks from the White House, there i
a roadway 65 feet wide around thu
circle. An ordinance provides tina
vehicles are to keep tosthe outside o
} such spaces. close to the curb of tn
streets bordering the circle. But tn
temptation to take a short cut lead
motorists to use any part of the g.
: feet, so that people on foot are in dan
, ger every step of the way across.
'tAt this particular circle. the pedes
trian had such a hard time of it tina
we put out posts with chains between
: them. Six of these chains radiate lik
l spokes of a wheel from the circle 2
feet into the road. They force tn
, motorist to keep within the 40 fee
left at the outside. so that the persol
= on foot has a smaller danger zone t
> cross"
: Captain Head1ey has found tina
too great width of street is as con
2 ducive to accidents as too little. o
2 a street over 100 feet wide, as man
r of the avenues are, a driver can be 3
. feet from the curb, and still be on tn
right side of tina street. When traffi
IS heaNy ana Nenlcies are Spredu on
= this way. crossing the street is mad
= unnecessarily hazardous for the pedes
frian-
Washington has narrow streets
too. where vehicles travelling bot
s ways are likely to get into a jan
2 But the narrow road is an easie
= problem. Washington copied Bostol
e Pittsburgh. and Philadelphia by max
g ing her narrow downtown thorofare
= zone way" streets.
All sorts of traffic novelties hav
Il been tried out on the capital. Yello'
r. tin signs mounted on posts infor1
: motorists where they may not par
10 their cars AVhite lines painted on tn
: street mark off spaces like stalls
3 which cars should be parked.
+ All Systems Are Tried.
n At some of the more dangeror
It crossings, lanes for pedestrians are il
fica ed by white nhinted lines stretcI