Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-09-07

80
REGULATE ALL TRAFFIC.

mas Az KGA8Sa 01
sibility at all? Can they do as the,
please and always be held blamelesI
while the autoists must be constantly
on his guard for any emergency?
Traffic is heavy and streets are con
rested. No longer are the drivers Of
vehicles permitted to drive as they
please. 1t was only a few years ago
that a person could drive UP to any
curb he wanted to, whether on the
right or left side of the street, and re-
main there until he got ready &c
move away. He could use his own
Judgment in crossing intersecting
streets and could operate his vehicle
in any manner he choose.
Now all this is changed. The driver
must keep on the right side of the
street and can stop on the right side
Of the street. On the business
thoroughfares he can remain only
fifteen minutes at a time. A police
man is stationed at important COR
ners to direct traffic and by the mo-
ton Of his hand tells drivers when
they can cross and when they must
wait. There are laws and ordinances
regulating the very In which
the vehicle shall be operated. With
ALI of these the driver Of any vehicle
Is supposed to be familiar. And they
are all of much benefit to the public;
without such regulations our streets
would be in a most chaotic state to
say nothing of the accidents that
might occur.
But it will be noted that all this
regulation has to do with the vehicle.
Persons on foot are still permitted to
dodge In and out Of automobiles,
crossing the street at any angle. They
20 where they please and when they
please. Even the traffic officer on the
corner pays comparatively little at
tention to the pedestrians unless they
happen to be school children or
elderly people. There is a constant
flow of people across the crossings
with frequent lodging across the
street between blocks.
1t is not surprising hat the city
OF Newark is seriously considering
Nthk systematic regulation of pedes-
f.ian traffic in an effort to reduce the
number of accidents that are daily
occurring in that city, al elsewhere
throughout the country. AS the AS
bury Park Press says, in discussing
this proposed action on the part Of
Newark, experience proves that 1t
is not enough to protect the pedes-
TRAN from the automobile. He must
be protected from himself. Left to his
own devices the average walker is
careless TO the point of recklessness
and even with auto drivers obeying
the law he has demonstrated his
faculty for figuring in accidents.
Crossing the street midway in a block,
cutting diagonally across a street in
tsrsection, walking with the "pedes-
TRAN has the right of way" belief, all
these things are responsible for many
accidents and daily send many peo-
pie to the hospitals"
Sidewalks are built for people to
walk on and vehicles are prohibited
from going thereon. Likewise. the
middle Of the street is for the use Of
vehicles and it ought to be just as
much a violation of the law for Pc
destrians to walk in the middle of
The street as it is for a vehicle to use
the sidewalk. At the intersection of
every street there are crossings. Here
he person on foot should have right Of
way and the drivers Of vehicles must
De on their guard, but once the cross
,ng is passed there should be no fur
her danger of running down a per-
ION. But even at crossings vehicles
ought to be given some consideration.
Pedestrians as well az the driver Of
4 vehicle ought TO watch the trafnc
officer. When a signal is given to a
vehicle to cross that vehicle ought to
have the right of "a 1t is only In
his way that the utmost ~precaution
IAN be taken at street intersections.
The drivers Of vehicles have borne
he brunt of the trafic rules long
enough. No fault is to be found with
these rules, but it is time to make the
pedestrian realize that he, too, has
some responsibility. The person on
foot should keep out of the middle Of
he street. at least. Crossings should
be made only at street intersection
where protection is afforded. When
everybody Is giving attention % traffic
regulations the danger Of accident
Bin ps greatly lesssnsd-