Evening star., 1924-10-24
NEW TRAFFCRU
IGNORED BY POLICE
Fail to Clear. CrossWalks Be-
fore Changing Signals, as
Reported Ordered.

II Inspector Albert J. Headley chief
OF the police traffic bureau. has in
structed his men to sound warn
ing blast with their whistles suf-
ficiently long before changing the di-
rection of traffic to permit the cross
ings to be cleared OF vehicles, his
order has been utterly dsregarded.
This was proved yesterday by
careful inspection of the buster traf-
fc corners during the peak of the
rush hour, when reporters observed
from curbstone points of vantage
just how Washington traffic police
men are obeying the law that re-
quires such warning before the
position of semaphores may be
Changed.
Four corners were particularly Sc
lected for the survey-Seventh street
and Pennsylvania avenue, Ninth
street and Pennsylvania avenue.
Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue and Eleventh and streets
At none of these places were orders
announced by IIeadley carried out, al
though no dangerous incidents were
observed to result
whistles ns Signal Changes.
The reporter stationed at the F
street hot corner" found that the
officer on duty there swung his sema-
phore from stop to go about
simultaneously with the sound OF MS
whistle. No previous whistle was
blown but the observers attention
was attracted by the iact that trait
fic seemed to move swiftly. and in the
hour he stood watching there was
only one jam.
Examination proved that this Incl
dent was not the fault OF the orncer,
hut the deplorably conSested condi-
tion on Eleventh street between r
and G streets. Traffic is brought to
complete stop every time mo-
torist attempts either to park or
back out from his parking space. be-
cause of the condition OF the street.
and 1t was such an occasion that
caused the jam.
At every corner it was found that
pedestrians refused to observe the di-
rection Of the traffic officers sema-
phores, but pushed their way across
intersections in such needless masses
that motorists who had been given
the right of way by the policemen
literally had to nose their paths
through the walkers. They paid no
attention whatever, either to whistle
or semaphore ana showed no concern
when automobi es tried to cross the
streets.
Little Time Allowed.
The officer stationed at Fourteenth
Gtreet and Pennsylvania avenue came
closer to observing the law than any
of the others He blew his whistle
about two seconds before turning his
signal. To the reporter who watched
there the two seconGs seemed hardly
enough to completely clear the in
tersection.'
The theory of the whistle is that
Immediately upon its sound all tratfc
stops except that which has crossed
the building line in the direction
traffic has been moving. From to
Is seconds is ordinarily sufficient to
Kermit it to cross the opposite build
ing line before the semaphore is
swung III the opposite direction,
opening the lanes of traffic to those
who have been waiting.
The reporter at Fourteenth street
noticed particularly that the police
mans failure to allow more time to
elapse between the whistle and the
movement of traffic occasionally
trapped a street car square In the
middle of Pennsylvania avenue with
motor traffic trying to move In op-
posite directions around II. Street
car traffic there is particularly heavy.
Few Pedestrians Take Chances.
Few were the pedestrians who at
tempted to negotiate the entire
breadth of either Pennsylvania ave-
nue. or Fourteenth street without a
pause Both streets are too wide for
an uninterrupted journey even II the
regulation time had been allowed
between whistles. Most pedestrians
found it safer to hurry out to the
car tracks and wait there for an
other break in the traffic before con-
tinuing their trip.
Similar conditions prevailed at
Seventh and Ninth streets. with the
observer at the former particularly
noticing a few 'jay walkers who
even refused to keep to the safety
Of the regular cross walks. The
officer there was guided more by the
condition of his traffic than by any
element. He would blow his whistle
and when sure everything would
clear would turn his semaphore.
Some times two or three seconds
would eiapse.
The policeman at Ninth street
used the same method, and 1t might
be stated that not a single CLOSE
CALI or even dangerous situation
was noticed there during the rush
hour. When asked what he thought
of the order requiring the warning
whistle. the policeman laughed at 1t
and admitted that he thought. 1t
would do more harm than good, par
ticularly when the busy times came.
Favors Curb on Walkers.
"The thing to do" he added, ''is
mak6 the pedestrians move Just like
the automobiles There Is no reason
why they should be permitted to
walk helterskelter either with or
against my sign. We would lock up
motorist who did that. and we
ought to be given the right to lock
up a pedestrian who takes such
chances with his own and other
peoples lives, too.
/ 1T would take little time to train
the pedestrian. For while we
would have to station a man at each
iof the four corners literally to hold
Fem back. But they would learn after
the law had been enforced on a few.
Then things would be better for the
.pedestrians and the motorist alike,
and soon everybody would wonder
thow in the world they ever did with
jout such law"
i One other officer. when asked about
sthe existing law, said he had first
tbeen ordered to give the full 80
iSeconds' notice before turning his
,semaphore, Just to prove tAAt It
l.