The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-01-28
AUTO CODE
NEARLY
READY
Has COMMITTEES Approved and
Experts Are Preparing BiIl
to Be Reported

Having received the final ap-
prevail of members Of the joint
Senate and House subcommittee
Ontraffic, the comprehensive meas
ure designed to create q new
traffic regime IN the National
Capital is being whipped into
shape today by Senate legislative
experts for Introduction in the
Senate next Monday.
Acting on the suggestion Of the
various traffic experts who APP
peared at the series of hearings,
the joint committee is leaving
many details to the director Of
traffic provided in the bill and
only laying down specific legisIa-
tion on the major traffic sores.
Speed Limit Raised.
As the bill is now drafted and
approved, the speed limit In Wash
ington will be increased from 10
miles an hour to 20 miles an hour
and the maximum speed under any
circumstances is set at % miles an
hour.
The major provisions Of the bin
follow:
1. Appointment Of 900 addi.
tional traffic policemen.
2. Appointment of two addi-
tional judges, with sessions of
the traffic court up to IL b. m.
3. Appointment Of director Of
traffic, preferably an engineer,
with broad powers.
5. Mandatory jail sentences for
first offenses OF driving while
drunk and fleeing from the scene
of an accident.
6. Designation of arterial high.
ways by the new director Of
traffic
z. PRONUNCIATION Of an impound-
ing law by the new director OF
traffic IL he deems 1t necessary.
ID. G. Officials Aid.
Engineer Commissioner Bell and
Assistant Corporation Counsel Ring.
gold Hart sat with the committee at
today's executive session and are ex.
pected to sit with them at a brief
meeting to be held next Monday just
prior to the introduction of the bill
in the senate.
Chairman Ball said today that
there is still a feeling on the part Of
some members of the committee that
Engineer Commissioner Bell should
be made director OF traffic ex-officio
and that an assistant should be APP
pointed to take active duty under
this post. ~
However, it is the view of q ma
iority of the joint committee that
the director Of traffic should be
entirely epart from the commits
sioners. that he should be an Ell.
pineer y IifaNreceive salary guaran-
feeling a man of the highest quail
fications.
AII-Night Parking
1t was decided today to strike
form the bill the clause prohibiting
aII-night parking, and 1t was point
ed out that If at any time the di-
rector of traffic desires to place a
ban on all-night parking, he will
have the authority to do 1t.
According to terms of the bill,
Il will become effective sixty days
after IL is passed, so If II is passed
at the present short session, as is
hoped, 1t will be in effect here on
or before May 4.
From the start the joint COM
mittee has been practically OF one
mind on the appointment OF addi-
tional policemen, additional Police
Court judges, and the imposition Of
drastic penalties for major offenses.
It was after the visit here OF the
two New York traffic experts that
the committee decided that Washing
ton should have a director of traffic
and arterial highways or fast boule-
wards created, il it is to be the
model traffic city which Congress
appears ambitious to make It,