Smyrna times., 1925-04-01
RESPONSIBILITY OF R.R. TRAINS
Engineer Buck Thinks r. r. Trains
Should Halt at Some intersections

The passage by the legislature IN
part of the bill which would require
motor drivers to come to a dead halt
at railroad crossings where the State
Highway Department places warning
signs, has been generally misunder-
stood throughout the state. The gen
eral assumption and understanding of
the motorists, is that they must stop
or run the chance of being fined if
they are not struck by a train at all
crossings, but this it not the case. If
the bill is finally enacted as it now
has been amended it will read that
motorists must stop only at those
railroad crossings where the highway
department has placed warning signs. !
While it is always a safe thing to
do to slow up and be sure that no
trains are approaching when a mo-
torist approaches any grade crossing, |
yet it is not considered fair to the
public, by some highway officials to
make the motorists the only ones re-
spOnsible.
C. D. Buck, state highway engineer |
and in charge of the state police force |
believes there should be an equity |
about the grade crossings dividing |
! this between the mOtOriSt and the
railroad companies. Mr.. Bucks sug-
gestiOn is that at all important and
busy crossings, such as the grade
crossings of the main line, the Della
ware division being one of them, that
because of the large number of trains
that pass these crossings each day,
motorists should be compelled to halt,
in the effort to reduce accidents. But
Mr.. Buck also believes that when it
comes to such a crossing as at COrbet
station on the spur that runs between
Delaware City and Porters station,
that in this instance it should be the
railroad which should stop its trains
and not the motorists.
In order to meet argument that
might be made to the contrary, Mr..
Buck had the state police maintain
watch on the amount of traffic that
passed Corbet station for seven days
last December. Ordinarily this is a
time of the year when train travellers
should if at any time be heaviest,
while motor travel, because of the
cold was at its highest.
The survey of the seven days show
ed that in this one week, just before
Christmas, there were 1877 passengers,
), during the entire week who used the
railroad trains. There are three
: trains each way daily. As compared
, to these 1877 travellers by train, there
{ were more than 1000 automobiles
that passed Corbet crossing and these
: four thousand cars carried more than
y 5000 persons.
= Just as soon as the laws governing
y the taking over of the grade cross
u ings become effective, the highway
:" department will assume its response
y bilities as rapidly as each situation
y = can be taken up. By that time, it i.
~ expected that some understanding
with the Pennsylvania and other rail
'e roads will have been reached regard
= ing the character of warning sign
:" and lights for the protection Of mo
. torists.
~ Another bill in which the highwa.
officials are interested in the effort t
IL reduce fatal and other accidents, j.
the one concerning the licensing o
~ " billboards along highways. Withou
: the new highways the billbOard
- would be of no value whatever, be
- cause there would be no public to rea,
- them If the corporations which US,
y the billboards want positions alonl
the highways, the State Highway of
y ficials believe that there should b.
> caution used in placing them.
y According to the proposed BILLBOARD
II bill, signs placed within 200 feet o
(" the highway would be licensed and ~
signs would be allowed within 10
feet of the intersection of two roads
20 because that is positively the mos
u dangerous spot. There is a miSun
derstanding that exists, apparentl
er among some, to the effect that all bill
$ boards are to be licensed. Not unles
H. they are close to the highways is tn
> way in which the measure is drafted
Such license fees would bring to tn
w. state highway department betwee
~ ten and fifteen thousand dollars eac
e. year which would be devoted to eithe
a. the upkeep of the highways or tn
building of additional roads, so tha
,o the general public would be benefitte
on by it.
Engineer Buck is very much intel
ested in the proposed bill, first froi
the standpoint of decreasing I'll
chance of accident, and secondly b,
cause of the fact that it would hel
- build more roads.
~ -, The bill does not refer to any bill
~ boards in cities or towns, but only
Ivo the farming sections.
ne ---
-be Panama Canal idea Old