Evening star., 1925-02-05
FINDS CITIES BAN
CIVIL CARRIED COP
A. c. Moses Traffic Survey
Shows Marked Contrast
With D. C.

Traffic policemen not in uniform
are used comparatively little in
Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago and
Boston. Police departments of most
large cities frown upon the use of
ununiformed traffic policemen.
Very little angle parking is per-
mitted in the cities named, except on
a few streets, while in some cities
parking is allowed on one-way streets
only on the right side.
These are among the conclusions
reached by Arthur c. Moses of Wash
ington, who has sent out question
naires to a number of cities seeking
information of value to the traffic Sit
uation in Washington. Mr.. Moses espe-
cially sought to find out If policemen
not In uniform were used to any great
extent; If staggered" parking, an
idea originated by him in Washing
ton, had been considered by the po-
lice authorities of other cities; IL
automobiles were allowed to nose In
to the curb in parking and various
other traffic considerations.
Cut-Out Ban Enforced.
In all cities, Mr.. Moses was in
formed, the law against the use OF
the muff1er cut-out is enforced. and
all cities have regulation
against the unnecessary use of
siren to call persons to window
from an automobile. The latter two
form a pair of the most prevalent
nuisances in Washington, Mr.. Moses
declared in his letters, particularly
the unmuffied engine. certain make
of taxi cab operates with an auto
matic spark advance, and even Wheh
a
unlike the engine of large truck,
he said, while the frequent and un-
necessary use of an electric horn in
circumstances not connected win
the running of vehicle causes mucn
ANNOYANCE to Washington residents.
Philadelphia, according to letter
from George w. Fritz, director OF trai-
fic, has found one-way streets oHer
the best means of speeding up heaVy
traffic and is considering making an
streets in the city one-way trafnc
arteries, while Chicago, with IT'S
heavily congested loop district, has
found the one-way street in which
parking is strictly limited as to time
Indispensable in the handling OF the
heavy traffic.
Parking yioIators Arrested.
While in Washington vehicles are
allowed to stand two abreast for
limited period, most other cities take
a definite stand against such parallel
parking, Mr.. Moses was informed, ar
resting all offenders against the par
allel parking laws
All four of the large cities in the
class with populations of nearly or
over q million persons reported that
licenses are revoked for proof and
conviction of driving while drunk,
and that the courts cooperate to the
fullest extent in enforcement of the
law. Boston's police chief said Jail
sentences and fines of from $25 to
$50 are common, while Philadelphias
traffic director declared that the
Police Court judges are cooperating
very nicely" especially for speeding
and reckless operating, imposing the
maximum fines in most cases.
The investigation developed that
Washington's fatality rate from au-
tomobile accidents in 1928 was low
compared with other cities. Chicago
refused to give the number of per-
sons who met death in auto accidents
while in Cleveland 164 persons were
killed for the same year. In Boston
149 persons were killed and 5,141
persons injured in traffic accidents
for 1923.
Philadelphia Force Large.
AS compared with Washington'S
very small squad of motor cycle
policemen, Philadelphia, although a
very much larger city, has many
times the number Of traffic policemen
on duty. Director of Traffic Fritz said
there are more than $50 motor cycle
patrolmen in the motor traffic dis
trict of the city, a number of patrol
men mounted on bicycles in the vari-
Gus districts and outlying sections
while there are 120 mounted patrol
men in the central and produce sec
tions.
Boston, however, has but one
fourth of 1 per cent of it's policemen
mounted on motor cycles, although
none of them are in plain clothes
Ten per. cent Of the police force of
Cleveland is mounted, Martin A.
Blecke, deputy commissioner Of traf
fic, said, while in Chicago, a city of
more than two and a half million per-
sons, there are but 80 motor cycle
policemen and none on bicycles.
The Washington Investigator has a
scheme for staggered parking on one
way streets which he believes would
be of value in solving the parking
problem. His idea is that one side of
the street in each block should be
left clear for parking not to exceed
10 minutes, the east side on one
block and the west side on the other
of a one-way street north or south
This would permit merchants the use
of one side of the street for loading
and unloading vehicles for a short
time and would do away with a busi-
ness vehicle parked parallel to an