Evening star., 1922-01-01

Washington pedestrians who feel
themselves much abused by those
demons" the drivers of automobiles.
traffic cops opinion of the holiday
pedestrian traffic in that city.
Those who are disgruntled with
conditions in poor IL Washington
who peruse this story from the New
York Times will find out what
traffic cop in q big city has to go
through with day after day in try
ing to regulate pedestrian traffic and
keep from getting killed.
At Times square.
The Times Square night traffic
maelstrom at it's center. the junction
of Forty-thi street, Broadway and
Seventh avenue. was swirling in it's
fiercest hour-the theater hour, the
hour when that spot presents a con-
gestion of taXis and human beings
unequaled in any of the worlds CAPT
tails. North and southbound traffic
had the right of way.
While the big traffic policeman
kept two woman. who had started to
cross from crossing from east to
west man with two crutches and
the stumps of two legs waded boldly
into the stream of taXis, crowding
forward for every inch Of gain before
for them to stop. The drivers cursed
the cripple as their wheels passed him
with an inch TO spare. or rs they
jammed on their brakes. But the
right of way meant nothing to him.
Traffic rules meant nothing to him.
He edged in and out and landed
safely on the curb.
The big traffic policeman watched
him, cynicallH. without pity or
anxiety. rs he he inquired, going
TO lose fortune unless he crosses at
this very minute? Is he carrying the
only known antidote for a poison
which has just been swallowed by a
visiting Eureopean premier? Is his
signature necessary for the deathbed
will of a miltimillonaire? Not at
all. at all. If you Will follow him as
far as the next block you'll see him
stop and look into a store window
for five minutes. and thereafter spend
ten minutes watching people going
into a theater.
.'He has nothing to do. nowhere to
go. just Il date to slaughter Old
Father Time. He'll ambie up and
down Broadway for the next two
hours, but he'll wait for traffic
jam every time he wants to cross
the direction opposite to that in
which traffic is bound. What makes
them get that way??''
His relief came along just then
and the big fellow shook himself like
a dog coming out of the water.
Shades of Devery, but this has
been a night" he exclaimed. ''and
I'm glad it's over-for me. I've been
on traffic duty for five years now
and this holiday season q the worst
Vet. Never seen such crowds. and
such bull-headed crowds at that
Traffic rules. SO far as these holiday
shoppers and theatergoers are con-
cerned, might just as we'll be smeared
off the books. Take it down to 34th
street and Broadway now. where
there's that croSS-town line and two
up-and-down-town lines. viii the
crowds going north or south stay on
the curb while the cars and taXis
are going east and west? VIII they
give the taxi driver a chance when
he is obeying the traffic laws?
''They will not. They step off the
curb and they keep crowding nearer
and nearer to the ear tracks until
the lane for the taNis to pass through
is so narrow that the hubs of the
wheels brush the skirts of the wom-
en-. Then, in groups of two or three
or a half dozen they begin 20 jump
in front of the cars or the taxis which
have the right OF way. Women. arms
laden with bundles and a kid cling
ing to each hand, scurry in front of
one taxi going east. and only a
miracle and the speed with which
a New York taxi driver can stop pre-
vents call for the ambulance when