Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-14
UNCLE SANS
TRAFFIC
PROBLEM
BY FREDERIC J. HASKfN
wy AsHINGTON, D. c., Aug. 10.
M The visitor to New York is
wv always warned against the

wy AsHINGToN, D. c., Aug. 10.
MI The visitor to New York is
wv always warned against the
hazards of crossing street
without the personal assistance of a
policeman, yet the records show a
greater number of accidents per cap
tta in Washington than in perilous
New York.
From the beginning of its history,
the national capital has always held
the reputation of being q collection
whole EMBODIED in a languid southern
atmosphere. For over a hundred
years this description was more or
less accurate.
Then. suddenly, war tore some
100000 stenographers and newly
made officers from their peaceful
homes and landed them in the thick
of the battle at the administrative
front. The onrush of volunteers from
New York, PittSburg, and all points
west, damned the capital to it's ut
most capacity, and the city began to
know what heavy traffic really was
BY the time suitable traffic regula-
tons 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 1t is
full of traffic cops. street signs, park
ing regulations, and rules for .cross-
ing a street. It has a crowded bust
ness section, and it's circles, which
Major L'Enfant laid out to be emer-
gency forts. have become modified
race tracks, around which automo-
biles scoot in rapid succession, while
pedestrians await a 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 autolSts Tall TO
stop at points where passengers are
leaving street cars, and accidents
mount.
TOURISTS ARE CARELESS
Tho city's traffic troubles are
largely due to the character OF its
population. Flocks of tourists are
perpetually wandering about with
their eyes lifted to the dome Of the
capitol, and their brains buzzing with
plans for meeting favor1te states
man.
Then, there is official Washington
the ambassadors, cabinet e 9a,,e
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 peculiarities which some digni-
taries never learn until they are
law committed by foreign diplomatic
representatives are called to the at
tention of the state department. Only
homegrown officials are subject to the
laws.
Publicity is given to accidents as
a warning to the people, and the po-
lice department has started cam
paign to teach the children caution.
In the Office Of Captain Albert Head
ley, Of the city traffic department,
there Is a map Of the city all dotted
over with numerous colored pins.
The map is the captains own idea,
and each pin shows where street
accident occurred, A RED pin means
the death Of an automobile passenger
or driver; a pink pin means a pedes-
trian killed. Yellow means injury
to the driver; white, injury to a Pc
destrian; green, damaged property;
and black, no serious consequences.
These pins show traffic accidents
only for the past four months" Cap
map we can tell where accidents are
. most frequent Then we study the
cause and try to remove 1t.
Turn to the Right
washington has so many acute
angles, due to avenues that run oil
agonial to the streets. and motorists
coming together at these angles are
count Of each other. Then, there
are circles, with six or eight streets
running into them, all pouring We
hicles into the space around the cir
Gle. At one time, vehicles would &c
in any direction around these cir
| 30 fhox, p>oH1f hear
to the right, and even then the cir
cles are real danger zones.
| "As Scott Circle, for instance, q
few blocks from the White House
there is a roadway IS feet wide
| around the circle. An ordinance pro-
vides that vehicles are to keep to the
outside of such spaces, close to the
curb Of the streets bordering the cir
Gle. But the temptation to take
short cut leads motorists to use any
part of the IS feet, so that people
on foot are in danger every step OF
"At this particular circle. the
pedestrian had such a hard time OF
it that we put out posts with chains
between them. Six Of these chains
radiate like spokes Of wheel from
the circle rs feet into the road. They
force the motorist to keep within the
40 feet left at the outside, so that
the person on foot has a smaller dan
ger zone to cross"
Captain Headley has found thai
too great width Of street is as con-
ducive to accidents as too little. On
a street over 100 feet wide, as many
of the avenues are, q driver can be
SO feet from ths curb, and still be
on the right side of the street. When
traffic Is heavy and vehicles are
spread out this way. crossing the
street Is made unnecessarily hazar-
dous for the pedestrian.
Washington has narrow streets
too, where vehicles travelling botf
ways are likely to get into a jam
But the narrow road is an easier
| problem. Washington copied Bos.
ton, Pittsburg, and Philadelphia, by
making her narrow downtown thor.