The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-13
BOARD OF TRADE
PREPARES
CODE
Committee Is at Work on
Traffic Rules and Street
Improvement Plan.

Improvement Plan,
A new traffic code for the
District Of Columbia, calling for
a number. of radical changes in
the law and for construction Of
several new traffic arteries in the
city will be taken up for con-
sideration and will probably be
approved at a special meeting Of
the public order committee Of the
Washington Board Of Trade at 8
o'clock Friday night.
Expect Official Support.
The code, framed by the subcom.
mittee on traffic and safety, will
probably have the support of the
police and District Commissioners, It
/ Is stated.
The public order committee viii
point out the vital need Of immediate
adoption Of a code Of fundamental
traffic principles to cut down the
number OF accidents in Washington
streets and will recommend that its
code be adopted Immediately and
that permanent traffic committee
be appointed to work out the details
later.
It will be shown that the great
need Of this city Is a traffic code in
harmony with the codes in effect in
the larger cities Of the country, as
| Washington has a larger number OF
| automobile visitors than any other
city, and it is impossible for such
1 visitors to learn a complicated code
applicable to Washington alone.
1
| code as must be applied to parking
and one way streets will be made
| evident by signs to be placed by the
| Police Department, according to the
code.
Construction Changes.
The committee will act upon re-
quests for the following physical
changes in the layout of the city
to facilitate traffic movement:
Construction Of a special auto
mobile boulevard between and
parallel to Connecticut and Wiscon-
sin avenues, to divert traffic from
both these heavily burdened thor
oughfares, ON both of which are
street car lines.
Narrowing of the roadway around
Thomas circle by extension of the
reservation to include the street
car tracks and so prevent the neces-
sity Of automobiles running on the
car tracks.
Cutting Of diverging roads through
Lafayette square from the foot OF
Sixteenth street to prevent all traf-
fic from this main uptown artery
flowing through H street, which,
besides being narrow, has double
car line. These roads would branch
l to east and west, communicating
directly with Pennsylvania avenue.
Widening Of Streets.
| Widening Of such streets as
i Tenth from r street to Massactu.
sets avenue. Thirteenth, F and K,
and Fifteenth, New York avenue to
| X street.
Paving Of such streets as Twelfth,
below Pennsylvania avenue; Four.
teenth, B northwest to B south
west: Little B and Big B, Ninth to
Fifteenth.
Removal Of safety platforms at
Sixteenth and U streets northwest.
| Painting of safety zones at street
car stops to points as far out as
Park. road and the Geological park
stop on Connecticut avenue and
insurance of the safety of those
|
about these zones.
Elimination of more than one car
stop in one direction in any one
block.
Among the new traffic regula.
tons contained in the code are the
following:
New Regulations.
Strict confinement Of hackers to
1 nd oil ~
stands, with bonding of all public
hackers, the placing of hacking un-
der the Public Utilities Commission,
and insurance OF passengers.
Narrowing of parking regulations
to two distinct classes-parallel
parking on all streets eighty feet
or greater in width, and As degree
angle parking on all narrower
streets or streets with center park
space.
Placing of automatic illuminated
stop signals on the rear Of all street
cars.
Change of the regulation COMPEL.
ing automobiles to stop fifteen feet
behind street cars stopped to take
on or let off passengers, to eight
feet. with provision that automo-
biles may pass such cars slowly If
OuL6IOC lLlc cASAt-LOOL UISIAuC0.
Heavier Penalties.
More stringent penalties for 10Y.
riders and auto thieves. with reg.
istration of all car sales and secur.
ing Of a permit for all alteration or
painting Of cars and return OF
licenses from used cars sold.
More rigid examination Of appli
cants for drivers licenses, includ,
ing tests for vision, color blindness
and mental fitness, in addition to
the present demonstration test.
Discarding Of the fixed speed
limit, declared to be Obsolete" in
favor Of a variable speed limit
under which each driver would be
} strictly responsible in cases OF reck
less driving at any speed.
Withdrawal of permits upon con
viction Of driving while drunk OIL
under the influence OF narcotic
drugs. for a period Of at least one
year.
Notation Of traffic violations upor
permits, and withdrawal for more