Evening star., 1923-11-13
Trade Board for Traffic Code
Inpolui1,g Many Changes
adopts Report of Committee Urging
More One-Way Streets, Stricter Enforce
ment and Larger Personnel.

ington Board of Trade at it's annual
meeting last night unanimously
adopted the report of its traffic COM
mittee, prepared under the direction
of w. Pearce Rayner.
In presenting the report. which is
said to be one of the most COM
prehensive studies of traffic in the
National Capital yet attempted. Mr..
Rayner, chairman of the committee.
asked that he be allowed to appear
before the congressional committee
when it resumes hearings on the
local traffic situation.
With the adoption of the report it
is expected that the chairman and the
entire committee will appear before
the Senate committee at an early
date.
Pointing out that many of the
present regulations are under con-
troversy because OF personal preju-
dices or selfish interests Of individ.
uals the report states that the COM
mittee has "striven 70 preserve an
attitude of impartia.ity toward the
subject"
Specific Conditions Cited.
The report takes up specific enndi-
tions. as follows:
This committee believes tht fol-
lowing traftic regulations are not
ICING adequately OF uniformly u
forced:
Section /. (a) Regarding obeLi-
ence to traffic signs at car stops. etc.
Section 1. (a) License tags are OBJ
scured by bumpers. spare tires. and
not lighted or visible a night.
Section 4. td) Many trailers are
being operated without any brakes
whatever
TO do with lights, but especially sec
ton having to DO with glaring
headlights. for which we have no
modern enforceable regulations. Many
vehicles are left Standing all over the
city without any lights, to the great
danger of fire apparatus and others.
end many are driven with lamps so
poor as to endanger all users of the
streets. some vehicles are not even
equipped with lamps.
Section s. An honest effort par
italy successful, has been made to
break up extrEaely fast driving, but
the numerous detailed and perhaps
superfuous speed regulations are not
being enforced.
Section 9. (a). Right-hand right
Section 10 Paragraphs a, b. and
@, covering hand signals by operators
of vehicles.
Section II. Passing street cars.
Section Section ~, IL ca; Cutting corners.
not keep to the curb
Section 12. (k). Permission of traf-
fc officer to make right turn Is not
being enforced at all, and is Intended
to protect pedestrians
Section 16. tb). Entrance to build
1ngs. (D. Vehicles stand abreast all
over town. many without drivers. Cn.
fk5 any lesding Piatforms ar and curb
in to the curb. (n). Reserved un-
loading space is not preserved in CEN
ter of long blocks.
Section IT. (c) Brakes on horse
drawn wagons which with load oh
over two tons when operated on a 4
per cent grade or more.
Traffic Bureau Endorsed.
we praise the action of the Com
mfssloners which installed CEN
tralized tI>-tfic bureau in the police
department, as repeatedly recon-
mended by the Board of Trade, but
consider the bureau as only start
In the right direction toward traffic
control Tor the entire District Of Co.
lumbia.
This committee believes that the
trafhc bureau and the entire police
department are undermanned. Funds
for modern traffic control equipment.
such as block signals lighted beacon
semaphores and for painting cross
walk and direction markers should
be provided by Congress.
e This committee calls attention to
the fact that il was only through
the public-spirited generosity of Mr.
John Hays Hammond, who donated
$1,000 for the purpose. that the pres
ent safety lines are painted on our
streets. Citizens should not be ex-
pected to do at their own expense
what our government has failed to
90 to safeguard lives In the city of
Washington.
The traffic force should be doubled
and the inspector in charge Of traffic
should have the assistance of at least
two lieutenants on traffic only. Mod
ern motor cycles and automo biles
should be provided to cope with the
cars driven by violators.
Traffic officers should be picked,
trained men, receiving a higher rate
of pay than patrolmen.
AT present the traffic squad is but
the stepping stone for many men to
the regular force, and recruits for the
traffic squad are from civil life and
beginners in police work. assuming
ing or experience. Many of the older
traffic officers have become skilled at
their work. but the small force of
police available for city Of almost
100000 persons has made 1t impos-
sible to spend sufficient time in train
ing new men,
The present system of paying traf-
fic officers from funds collected from
street railways is obnoxious and un-
American and discriminatory. in ef-
feet, on other users of the streets.
They should be regular policemen
paid from the funds OF the District of
Columbia.
Praise One-Way Streets.
I'VE congratulate and praise the
Commissioners of the District Of CO.
lumbia for keeping in effect the one
way streets. as originally proposed
by the Washington Board of Trade.
In spite of demands of those not kav- ,
ing the object of the most expedi-
tous handling of the constantly in
creasing motor vehicle traffic in mind
they have refused to abandon the plan
which prevented chaos on our streets
during the Shrine convention.
Your committee believes that a
very large majority of the 100000
drivers and owners in Washington
are in favor OF one-way streets one
way streets prevent traffic bIockades,
reduce danger to pedestrians, who
have only one direction to watch in
stead Of two: afford double the op-
portunity to use an open parking
space, permit merchants to load and !
unload motor trucks which project
into the street without stopping traf-
fic will handle larger amount of
traffic for the same width than two
way streets; they prevent turning
around in the center of block, at
tract drivers from streets with car
tracks and more congested traffic,
they are plainly marked and reduce
fatal accidents
We recommend establishment of
four more one way streets east and
west to expedite and make safe traf-
dc to and from Union station, namely:
Eye street. west bound. from Mass
achusetts avenue to 10th street; H
Massachusetts, avenue; e street, west
bound, from 5th street to 18th street
northwest: D street, east bound, from
10th street to 5th street