The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-08-21
With The
AlibiArtists
Colonel MOIler Will
Train Pedestrians to
Whistle TOOts
You Live = Maybe!
By DONALD McDoUGAL


down in Traffic Court yesterday,
and after giving our name, place
of residence. registration and per-
NIT numbers we fell to talking
about the new system of safe
guarding pedestrians at street
crossings.
We wanted to get the main
idea of the thing and set it up
in the Alibi Column so our read
ers could know what it's all
about. and set a good example
to the rest of the community.
Colonel Moller had lot of
trouble making us understand
the scheme, because he didn't
have a sledge hammer and cold
chisel with him, and had to make
out the best he could with a sheet
of paper and a pencil.
It's really two schemes-one for
the motorist and another for the
pedestrian, and you have to de-
scribe them separately.
Suppose you're walking up
Pennsylvania Avenue to cross
Fourteenth. street. When you
get there, the go-go sign shows
that Fourteenth street has the
right of way. Well, then you
wait.
You can wait on the corner
or you can wait IN the hospital,
which ever you like. Waiting on
the corner will take only fifteen
or twenty seconds, whereas you
may be several weeks getting out
of the hospital, If you're lucky.
The go-go sign has changed py
this time, and the traffic offlcer
blows one toot on his whistle
which means that you have the
right of way. but you'd better
not use it.
you've got to give the vehicles
that were crossing the Avenue a
chance TO clear the intersection.
When they're all out of the way.
the officer gives two toots and
then it's safe for you TO go
across,
You can be dead sure that no
machine is going to slip around
the corner and cave your ribs IN.
That is, If the semaphore SAYS
go and you hear the two blasts
of the whistle you're safe IN
stepping off the curb, BUT NOT
OTHERWISE.
Colonel Moller says that now
and then a dumb driver may for.
get his lines. run past the slgnal
and crab the act If that hap
pened when you were on the cross
walk, OF course, it would take
an undertaken to straighten out
the mess.
So Colonel Moller is going to
have a police officer at each cor
ner of the intersection to shoe
EN- away.
He's going to keep 'em on the
Job for week. he says, and by
that time everybody ought TO be
pretty well acquainted with the
system.
There's got to be some way to
clear the crossing of pedestrians
before turning vehicles loose
when the semaphore changes
again, and that's done by sound
ing one blast on the whistle.
If you're on the sidewalk when
YOU hear that single toot, stay
there whether you have the right
of way or not. The right of way
YOU have after you hear that
single toot is the right of way to
the operating room.
From what we've heard of the
plan, we've formulated these
these rules. which we're going
TO follow religiously. Then IL we
get killed we'll have the satisfac-
ton. of knowing it wasn't our
fault:
/. Don't cross because you see
others crossing. They don't know
any more about it than you do.
2. Stay on the sidewalk until
you have the right of way AND
he two blasts of the whistle.
g. Don't let anything persuade
you to step off the curb after
you hear the single blast Of the
whistle.
4. Remember it's an essential
part of the plan for machines,
when they do come over the in
tersection, to come a-hellin', so
if you're caught out of your own
territory, it's all off with the Big
Swede.