The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-08-05
ADVOCATE y NEW
TRAFFIC LAWS
FOR BISMARCK
Magistrate Discusses Speed
Law, Crossing Regulations
and Parking Rules
PRESENT PLAN OBSOLETE
Officers May Require SIS Cash
Bail in Future as Results of
FOrfeitures

Present city ordinances governing
automobile. parking and traffic on tho
streets of Bismarck are not adequate.
in the opinion Of many officials. !.
The city speed limit of eight miles
an hour is too slow for proper han.
ding of modern motor car traffic
according to opinions expressed by
officers discussing traffic regulations
with Police Magistrate E. H. Howell,
after he had disposed of speeding
cases in court last evening.
Chief of Police Martineson was not
present during the discussion.
One man appeared before Police
Magistrate Howell this week to an
swer a speeding violation. He as
serted that he was not violating the
ordinance, although he admitted he
was going around 20 miles an hour.
The practice of the police, it develop
ed, is to not interfere with cars if
they are being driven with due care
unless they ARE exceeding Is miles
an hour, although according to law
9 car going 10 miles an hour is vi.
Olating the ordinance just as much
as car going As miles an hour.
The opinion was expressed in the
discussion that the eight mile limit
should be raised, and new limit en-
forced to the limit.
Parking Ordinance y
The city ordinances contain no
regulations as regards to where a
car may be parked in the city. Cars
are now parked on the wrong side
of the street, in the center of the
street, and everywhere else, the Of
ficers said. No city ordinance states
where car can or cannot be parked.
People on foot should be prevent
ed from crossing the GOrners every
which way" police say, make them
cross in the proper place and not
cross in the middle of the block"
! Other Changes Needed
No city rule covers the turning of
cars in the middle of the block. All
larger cities prohibit this and police
claim the same should be done here.
Chief of Police Chris MartinesOn
, said today that any Bismarck motor
lists driving cars with old license
plates or no license plates at all were
due for q trip to the police court
soon.
A car went through the city this
week carrying a piece of tin, covered
with few dabs of paint, intended
to resemble South Dakota license
tag.
Motorists are also warned agailIt
driving their cars with glaring head.
lights" the chief stated.
Racing around the streets during
the early morning hours seems to be
the habit of a few people. In as
much as most of this travel is plain.
Joy riding the police declare it shoult'
be stopped. The residents of the.
city are entitled to a chance to sleep,
they say.
The Remedy
The solution of the whole difficulty
would be for the city commission to
draft an entire new set of traffic Or
dinances, modelled after those of some
we'll regulated city and then put on a
couple traffic officers for about 4
month to- get people accustomed to
obeying the new rules and generally
educated to correct driving, is the
opinion Of Police Magistrate Howell,
who hears the cases dealing with
automobile traffic now.
What the city commission will do,
1onerds on what the people want.
Traffic on some Of the Bismarck
sS.e.s is now rather heavy. At is no
longer a village and some regulation
of traffic is essential If accidents
are to be prevented, officials assert
IA Many Are Fined
However, there. is no laxity in en-
forcing the present law. Getting
beyond the speed limit on the city's
excellent asphalt streets is. a mighty
easy thing to do. This summer many
prominent citizens have been before
the magistrate; \
The police have been lenient in
regards bail for speeders, and have
generally taken their word for ap'
pearance in court at the proper time,
but two or three men have taken ad-
vantage of this and failed to appear.
They will be rounded up later, the
officers say, but, unless the citizens
of the city cooperate with the police
and appear for trial when asked to,
the police intend to call for $25 cash
bail. @