The Washington herald., 1920-12-16
I Report Asks Special Court
And Titling of All
Machines.
POLICE SHOULD PASS
ON DRIVERS ABILITY
Licensing of Street Car
Motormen Is Also
Suggested.

rigid supervision in issuing motor
drivers permits, safety for motor
lists and pedestrians and titling OF
automobiles in the District are sug-
gested in the report of the District
, Automobile Board. appointed by the
Commissioners to revise and suggest
, new rules governing automobiles in
Washington The report was made
public by the Commissioners yes
terday afternoon.
The report contains twenty-four
sections.
Legislation changing. the present
system of registering motor vehi-
cles in the District should be OBJ
tanned. the report said. the present
system being unnecessarily in
volved in the matter of personal
taxes The report recommended
that legislation should be obtained
for registration of motor vehicles to
establish title and ownership. SINH
lar to the laws in Maryland. vir-
sinia, Pennsylvania and other
States
Suggest Traffic Court.
Establishment of a traffic court
was recommended in the report. The
board suggested that persons with
out-of-town car registration of
number plates should register here
within ten days after arriving, and
a visitors tag should be issued at
the time of registration. The tag.
IL is planned. could be surrendered
and the fee chargd for it refunded.
Visitors tags should be surren-
dered after the vehicle bearing the
tags has been in the District sixty
or more days. and a permanent Dis
trict operators number issued.
The control of the issuance of
the operators permit the report
stated, should be subject to the
same department that enforces COM
pliance with the regulations. The
work of actually issuing the oper-
ator's permit should be carried out
as at present by the superintendent
of licenses. except that he should
be named by that title instead OF
Secretary of the Automobile
Board"
mits. 1t was recommended. should
be made to the superintendent of
licenses and then referred to the
superintendent of police for report
on the applicants qualifications. No
permit should be issued without the
approval of the superintendent of
police, said the report.
The police department" 1t was
suggested further. should keep a
centralized file of all forfeitures
of collateral and convictions for
violations OF traffic regulations"
The superintendent of police. it
is suggested. should pass upon the
applicants mental and physical con-
dition. No license, however. might
be issued until the applicants abil-
ity to operate a motor vehicle and
his knowledge of the traffic regu-
lations were established by prac-
tical tests
One-way streets.
Three one-way streets were pro-
posed in the report. They are: Ex-
ecutive avenue from the intersection
of the southwest corner of the
Treasury Department. to Pennsyl-
vania avenue. and Madison place
from Pennsylvania avepue to II
street, for northbound traffic; Tenth
street northwest, in the congest-
ed district. for southbound trafic.
and Twelfth street in the congest-
ed district for northbound traffic
The report recommended that a
suitable police regulation should
be adopted providing for reporting
collisions, and a suitable penalty
should be enforced for violations
Of the regulation
Licensing of street car motormen
based on their qualifications, fitness
and knowledge of the traffic regu-
lation should. in the opinion of the
board, be brought about by the
Public Utilities Commission. The
report says in this respect:
The attention of the-Commis-
sioners Is invited to the great num-
ber of infractions by street railway
companies of those trafflc regula-
tions relating to cars at street in
tersections."
Limit Parking Time.
Prohibition of center parking on
Pennsylvania avenue was asked.
and 30-minute parking at curbs ad-
yocated. Pedestrians, it was re-
ported. should be prohibited from
CrOSSlQk at lhdh
street Intersections and crossings.
marked out in white lines on the
pavement. The proposed "aisles of
safety for Scott Circle were ap-
proved.
The report suggested also that
vehicles should not be permitted to
make turns in the middle Of a block
in the congested districts. on streets
where street cars are run. and that
no vehicle should pass another go
ing in the same direction at q street
intersection.
The report asked that certain
classes of vehicles be equipped with
mirrors to enable the driver to see
trafic passing behind him. Publi-
cation Of list of headlight devices
approved by the Police Department
was requested. and esablishmen of
a sufficient number of hack stands
asked.
Kuts Given Report.
The automobile board was COM
posed of Assistant Engineer Com
[ missioner Frank s. Besson, chair
man: Mai. Harry L. Gessford, su-
perintendent of police: Ringgpld
Hart, assistant corporation counsel;
Rudolph JoSe and Samuel A. Lut-
trcll. y lent automobile dealers.