Evening star., 1925-01-02
Uniting ON the Traffic Problem
Must Flow Freely
By ERNEST GREENWOOD,
Secretary National Conference Street and HgUay Safety

I have endeavored to emphasize
| in previous articles the fact that the
natural laws governing the flow of
traffic are just as definite and fixed
as the laws governing the now OF
water. Laws, rules and regulations
for the control of traffic could be
made comparatively simply and would
be easily enforced If we could attain
an absolutely free f1ow-
! If, however, the traffic problem is to
| be solved-and by Ttraffic problem l
mean both a reduction of the accident
rate and an improvement in the IA
cilities for the movement of trafhc-
both the States and communities must
be prepared to spend money, and
spend it quite as freely as the tramc
engineer would like to see the trafhc
flow. Money must be spent for re-
search work, for education, for an
ADEQUATE motor-vehicle department TO
administer the motor-vehicle law, for
the elimination of grade crossings,
for the highways themselves and for
the removing of distractions 10 tra1-
fic When I speak of CONSTRUCTIONS
I do not mean simply physical bar
riers to the vehicles themselves, but
/ mean also such distractions as OBJ
structions to proper driver vision.
Agree Drivers Should he Licensed.
Authorities are agreed that all mo-
ttor-vehicle drivers should be licensed,
and that applicants should be given
an adequate competency test before
this license Is granted. This will cost
money. It will take a large staff to
properly determine the ability, as
well as the physical, mental and
moral fitness of an applicant for such
a. license. 1t also takes a large staff
to investigate accidents, report on
| them property, and to police the
highways in such a fashion that
sooner or later, by means of drastic
penalties, the speed maniac, the
criminally reckless and the incompe-
tent are driven from the road.
ADEQUATE forces of traffic control
officers in the cities and special high
way police, mounted on motor cycles,
to police the highways are matters
of the greatest Importance. Very
few cities in the United States can
claim to have enough traffic police
men and very few rural highways
are adequately patrolled. This means
the expenditure of considerable ad
ditional money for our police depart
ments, but neither laws nor courts
are of much value If we do not have
enough officers to see that either the
laws are kept or the violators of them
are brought before the proper courts.
Need of Funds Emphasized.
1t will take money to bring about
| the gradual elimination of grade
crossings, which, as the committee e
on construction and engineering says,
should be brought about by munich
palities, States and railroads joining
! in an energetic campaign to carry
elimination work forward as rapidly
as funds obtainable will permit, with
an equitable distribution of the ex-
pense." In the same connection 1T is
| interesting to know that the commit
tee on public relations is SO i'm
pressed with the Importance of the
elimination and protection of grade
crossings that it recommends prior
| ity be given to them in the alloca-
| tion of capital funds by the railroads
over expenditures for other safety
measures. In any event, any program
| for the elimination of grade crossings
Will take large sums of money,
| whether it be done by the relocation
| of highways or by the separation OF
Z grades and the taxpayer In pne way