Evening star., 1925-08-11
RULES
MEET FIRST TEST
ControI System Tried Today
to Bring Left-Turn
Ban.

The first systematic attempt TO re
quire pedestrians TO walk with the
traffic signals was put into operation
at Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue this morning, and was charac-
teriZed a success by officials of the
District who observed the inaugura
ton of the plan.
After watching the system during
the morning rush, the traffic heads
concluded that the only factor which
interfered with the smooth operation
of the scheme was the making of left
hand turns by vehicles.
Acting Traffic Director Moller an
nounced that, beginning this after
noon. left-hand turns will be prohibit
ed from to 9:15 am. and from TO 9
pm. at Fourteenth street and Penn
sylvania avenue. Col. Moller and In
Traffic Bureau said that if elimination
of the left,hand turn at that intersec-
ton proves satisfactory, II may be
prohibited during rush hours at all in
tersections on Pennsylvania avenue
from Sixth TO Fifteenth streets.
Five Policemen Used.
At each of the four corners a uni
formed policeman stood with out
stretched arms and held the pedes-
trians back while traffic was moving
against them. When the officer at
the semaphore was ready 10 make a
change he blew one blast on his
whistle and vehicles that had not yet
started across stopped at the cross
walk.
The officer then left an interval
long enough for machines and pedes-
trians in the middle of the street TO
clear the intersection. Then he
sounded two blasts on his whistle and
turned the Go sign. releasing We
hicles and pedestrians in the other di-
rection.
The effect of this arrangement was
that pedestrians were not lodging
their way across the street while a
stream of vehicles was bearing down
on them from both sides. Because
of the unusual width of Pennsylvania
avenue Inspector Brown had small
safety zones painted on each side of
the car tracks in the middle Of the
street, where the pedestrians paused
when he found he could not make the
whole Journey from curb to curb on
one signal.
Occasionally a Government clerk
hiking gingerly toward the intersec-
ton and thinking only of getting TO
the Office on time, stepped off the
curb as usual. The arm of the police
man at the curb loomed in front Of
him and he was courteously requested
to wait for the GO" sign. Had he
gone on as he would have done on
any other morning, the pedestrian
would have found himself zig tagging
his way through a sea of tenders and
bumpers.
One Man F0rgets, But
One walker who apparently did not
grasp the idea of what the police
were attempting to do, started on the
journey across the street and had
reached midstream with traffic bear
ing down toward him. The agile
bluecoat at that corner was at his side
in a jiffy and. with a good-natured
smile. hustled him back to the curb.
The officer explained briefly the work
ing of the plan, shook the pedestrians
hand to signify a feeling of good will
and the pedestrian waited his turn.
1t was a somewhat unusual and
orderly picture to see great droveS of
men and women walking across the
roadway with not q single automobile
passing through their lane of travel.
And, simultaneously on the side
street. there was a similar picture of
a stream of vehicles moving rapidly
pedestrian jumping between them.
OF course, there was an occasional
pedestrian caught offside, especially at
a few minutes before 9 o'clock, when
the walkers had little time TO reach
the office. But Inspector Brown and
Col Moller said they had not hoped to
find everybody familiar with the
scheme the first morning.
When the officers at the corners
"a. ey4,-
trian from getting away at the wrong
time, they were urging the moving
traffic to speed up and clear the inter
section.
Pedestrians Speeded Up.
There seemed TO be a disposition on
the part of some of the pedestrians to
move leisurely across when the right
of way was given them. The officers
also shouted a friendly appeal to the
walkers to make it snappy" as they
started across.
Commissioner Frederick A. Fenning,
who supervises police and traffic prob
lens, stood for Is minutes and
watched the plan in operation. He
agreed with Col. Moller and Inspector
Brown that the making Of left-hand
turns by vehicles was tending to slow
up the smooth operation of the
scheme.
Inspector Brown voiced the belief
that If the plan can be made to work
satisfactorily at Fourteenth and Penn
sylvania avenue it should be accom-
plished even more easily at other
downtown crossings which are not
nearly so wide. Another factor which
makes Fourteenth and Pennsylvania
avenue a more difficult crossir 2 is the
car tracks which enter the intersection
diagonally from E street to Four
teenth street.
Inspector Brown believes that after
a few days the great army Of walkers
that passes this intersection daily will
become thoroughly familiar with what
the police are trying to do and follow
the signs without admonition.
A curious crowd Of persons, who ap-
parently were in no hurry to get
across, stood along the curb lines and
watched the energetic movements Of
the police as they sought to bring
about harmonious movement Of both
vehicular and pedestrian travel.
Some of these onlookers indicated
that they were at a loss to know what
was going on at first.