Evening star., 1920-12-26
ny THEODORE MOVES.

Tho isles Of safety" at Scott Circle
do not solve the traffic problem at that
! point. They are the least conducive to
smooth traffic Of any schemes yet tried
at this now famous circle, and are re-
ceiving the condemnation Of both pedes-
TRANS and motorists.
TO watch a number Of automobiles go
around the circle is like watching an
old-fashjoned obstacle race where every
thing 10 put in the way Of the driver
ana he Is supposed to dodge in and out
between these and other obstacles.
These platforms. the way they are
now placed. are a menace. They con-
fuaa the motorist and the pedestrian
alike. In tnree-quarters-o of an hour
observation one recent afternoon there
were more accidents with the new sys-
tenn than under the old.
The isles Of safety" are supposedly
!or the benefit Of pedestrians-to enable
them to cross the street with a greater
degree OF safety. This is what hap
pens: The pedestrian will go to any
Of these islands. Not q single walker
used the islands for the purpose that
| tkey were intended for, and instead
OF crossing over in the designated
crosswalka which cut through the
islands. would go around them.
80 instead Of using the island for
| safety, the pedestrians. to avoid the
extra step or two involved in step
ing onto ona Of them, goes around
and then there Is the same old trou-
PIE asain Of a conglomoration of
pedestrians and motorists, each try
ing 70 dodge the other. and both try
ing to dodge these "islands' which
seem to have been placed promiscious-
ly IN the middle Of the street to OBJ
struct trafhc Of both classes.
Susgestions fer Remedy.
What's the answer? The answer
is that tho islands won't do IN the
positions they are now placed.
The remedy: One remedy il that
the Islands be moved nearer the
tor1sts. and then have chains stretched
from the islands to the curb. Auto
mobiles should not be allowed to
move close to the inside Of the circle.
and this space-between the islands
ana the circle-should be closed to
II automobiles are allowed to move
In two circles, one on the outside and
one on the inside, with big blocks
OF wood strewn here and there. II
Of the on eTao shs oussss Wsn
to get on the inside circle, and vice
versa, resulting in crowding. and, in
turn. resulting in scraped mudguards,
tail lights ana rear tires, and proba.
bly, In some cases Of the total demo-
lition Of these isles Of safety" when
some motorist 10 crowded into one.
Or, move the islands back nearer
the circle. put stanchions with chains
between them and tho circle, and
round OF the islands to At in with
the contour Of the circle. and the
same thing will be accomplished
without putting needless obstructions
in the middle Of the street to make
driving and walking less pleasant
than they arc now.
W. Pearce Rayner, chairman OF the
public safety group Of the City Club
and we'll known for his study Of
trafflc conditions in Washington, has
this TO say of tho Scott Circle "un-
safety islands.
Calls System . Joke.
~This arrangement 10 . Joke. It is
contrary to the fundamental rules Of
tradic. In tho hrst place, tho pedes-
trians cannot cross directly II they
follow the lines marked out, because
each crosswalk 10 some distance
from the street intersection.
The remedy for the situation is not
70 put platforms in the middle OF the
street. to confuse both pedestrians
ana motorists. but to narrow the road
way 10 that the pedestrian will have
less distance to travel in tranac con-
gestsd streets.
.As q matter Of fact" continued Mr..
Rayner. ''as the platforms are now
placed Il II just a. short to 60 around
the circle ~ it 10 to cut through by