Evening star., 1924-09-12

Article v.
Most folks look upon traffic con-
troll" simply as 'laws designed fol
the control OF tranic. and policemen
to enforce them" But while laws
and their enforcement are a neces-
sary requirement Of any scheme OF
traffic control, these laws and their
enforcement are not in themselves
the solution of the traffic problem
they are the logical effect of the So
luton. The traffic-control expert
studies his problem, decides on the
remedy, and then calls upon the law
makers for legislation and traffic Of
ficers to enforce 1t.
There are half . dozen highways
leading to traffic control, but they
all terminate. in q common center,
around which the whole question re.
wolves, like motor vehicles them
complete rotary system. This IL
Standardization.
Uniformity Of control fs the most
important factor in solving the traf-
fic problem from the standpoint. OF
traffic control, whether that uni
formity is to be accomplished by
State or by Federal legislation. This
/ believe to be the keynote Of the
thought in the mind of every man
connected with the conference on
street and highway safety. 1t GER
tainly expresses the thought of Sec
retary Hoover when he asked the
question Are we to have some
recognized uniformity OF traffic laws
and rules regulating the use of auto
mobiles that will reduce the toll in
human life and limb and the great
property loss that results every year
growing larger each year-from
reckless, careless, criminal or even
well intentioned. but incompetent
driving?"
Certain uniformity of traffic regu-
lation is thing to be prayed for by
the motorist who may have occasion
to travel from State to State or even
from his home town to a neighboring
community in the same State. And
surely 1t Is an echo of the soliloouy
of the traffic Office, who observing the
Incense tag on car which seems to
be violating every traffic regulation,
wonders when drivers from other
States or cities will become "city
broke"
The citizen from Harrisburg. Pa,
motors to Washington, for the week
end. In making a left hand turn he
passes to the left of the traffic Of
hcer at the street intersection. That
IS the way they do it in Harrisburg.
In Washington it Is major offense.
Had he been a resident Of this CITY
ne might be given an opportunity to
study one Of the Districts nice jails
hrst hand. The citizens of the Dis
trict spending the week end in Harris
burg will have very much the same
experience. In Harrisburg one is
"a n ha
between the isles of safety as well as
TO the left or right of them Try it
in Washington. You may get an op-
portunity to listen to quaint remarks
ABOUT your ancestry, your brand of
mental deficiency. and your ultimate
destination il you don't hire a COM
petent driver to drive your car
The railroad man. thinking in
terms of his railroad, points to the
uniformity of method in operating
trains everywhere in the country,
without which their arrangements
would be utterly helpless. Specific
signals, colors. terminology and a
host OF other things in railroad oper-
alton mean one and the same thing
TO railroad man whether he be in
Maine or California, Wisconsin or
Louisiana. The pedestrian ponders
sadly on the fact that signals mean
one thing in Denver, Colo, and quite
another in Cleveland. Ohio, as he
travels toward the hospital in a We
hicie not equipped with a taximeter.
X
In connection with the question of
uniformity of hand signaling by the
oriVer there are two schools of
though. The one calls for three sig
nails by the driver: Cd Left arm ex-
tended
stop: CD extended at right angles 10
the body for turn to the left; go ex-
tended and pointing upward for turn
to the right. The other insists that
there should be one universal signal:
arm and hand extended to indicate to