Evening star., 1925-08-14
PEDESTRIAN RULES
TO Be EFFECTIVE At
. 90 PLACES MONDAY
MoIIer Announces Success
of System Tried on Ave-
nue. This Week.
WALKERS AND DRIVERS
MUST HEED WARNING
Full Cooperation Vital to Method.
Turns Still Bothersome
Problem.

The system tried out at Fourteenth
street and Pennsylvania avenue this
week of leaving an interval between
the changing of traffic for pedestrians
TO clear the intersection will be put
irto effect at all policed intersections
Monday. Acting Traffic Director Mol
Ter announced today.
Inspector Brown estimated there are
about so busy intersections where traf-
! fic policemen are on duty, and the
new plan will be in operation at all
| of them. Most of these intersections
are downtown, but there are some
scattered at congested points through
out the city.
| Col Moller explained that the pri-
mary purpose of the plan is to make
the streets safer for pedestrians. but
! if the system is to be a success those
who walk must adhere TO this simple
/ rule:
| Start across the street only when
| the Go signal is facing you."
Whistle is Important.
! The time interval allowed pedes-
| trians in the middle of the street. to
| finish the journey across will be in
diCated by the policeman's whistle,
| and both the motorist and the pedes-
/ trian should listen for the whistle.
On one blast of the whistle vehicles
| that have rat passed the cross walk
will stop and pedestrians who have
not left the curb should wait.
Then will follow an interval long
enough to enable the vehicles and
! walkers in the middle of the inter
section 10 reach the opposite side.
When the intersection is clear the
officer will sound two blasts on the
whistle and turn the GO" signal for
| traffic and pedestrians to move in the
| other direction.
In conducting the experiment al
! 14th and Pennsylvania avenue this
week Inspector Brown of the Trafflc
! Bureau had four patrolmen at the
! curb lines TO explain the scheme to
/ pedestrians and show them when to
start. This was done for educational
/ purposes, and the Police Department
| is without sufficient man-power TO
make it a part of the regular system.
When the plan is adopted al all cor
ners Monday there will be only the
! officer at the signal and the success of
! the system will depend entirely on the
amount of cooperation shown by the
pedestrians.
Inspector Brown explained that the
traffic officer can control the vehicles
and see TO it that they move and stop
only with the whistle, but they can
only appeal to the pedestrian TO do
] his or her part in a voluntary spirit
of cooperation.
Pedestrian Aid Vital.
/ If pedestrians continue to stream of
the curb after the single blast of the
whistle the policeman will never be
able to wait for all of them 10 get
across before releasing traffic from
the intersecting street.
I'VE hope" said Col. Moller, the
| pedestrians will realize the interval OF
time between whistles is for their
benefit If they move with the GO"
sign the officer will be instructed co
give them time to cross, but if they
walk against the signal there is no
way we can protect them from traffic
approaching them on both sides.
Col Moller also announced today
! that he and Inspector Brown are try
/ ing to devise some better rule for We
/ hicles intending TO make right or
| left turn at policed intersection.
! 1t was found in the experiment at
| Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue this week that the only factor
! which marred the smooth operation
of the two-whistle system was the
| question of what TO do with machines
making a right or left turn.
This was partially solved by pro-
! hibiting the left-hand turn at that
corner during the morning and eve
ming rush periods. But the problem
of the right-hand turn still remains.
! Machines making a right turn must
cross a lane of pedestrians either on
one street or the other whether it
makes the turn on the go signal or
/ the stop signal.
! Col Moller expects to make an an
! nouncement in a few days of some re-
vised rule for making turns at these
| policed intersections.