Evening star., 1925-08-22
Moller Announces Ban on
Many "HaIt Signs" in
Congested Area.
BELL PROPOSES DELAY
ON NEW BOULEVARDS
twenty-five Will Not Be Put in
Effect Now-Present Seven to Be
Partly Retained.

If traffic officials carry out plans
announced yesterday of abolishiny
stop signs in the congested part OF
the city on the seven boulevards now
in operation, such action may auto
maucally solve the problem of what
street cars should do at some of the
10 intersections still in dispute be-
tween the railway companies and the
| traffic department.
Before leaving yesterday for service
at military training camp, Acting
Iraf1c Director Moller made the an
nouncement that a considerable num-
| Der OF the stop signs may be done
away with in the congested down.
town part of the city, and that the
marking of additional boulevards
probably would not be undertaken
for the time being
| Col Moller made these announce
ments after an informal conference
with Engineer Commissioner Bell.
who has expressed the belief tha9
| too many boulevard highways should
not be established at the present.
/ time.
Seven in Operation.
| Although 29 streets were listed for
designation as boulevard highways hV
| the traffic department several weeks
| ago. only actually have been put into
| operation by having the stop signs
| painted at all intersections The re-
naming Y, while incorporated in the
! list of boulevards. have never been
| marked. and, therefore, have not been
IN erect for practical purposes
Inc announcement, therefore that
/ stop signs would not be painted in the
| near future on the % streets that have
/ not been marked does not mean the
| elimination of any existing boulevard
stop streets, since they have never
| been in actual operation. 1t was ex-
planned by traffic officials when the
! original list of 29 streets was made
| public that the rule requiring motor
/ lists TO stop before crossing would
be in effect only when the stop signs
were painted.
For practical purposes, therefore.
there are only seven boulevards in
operation and the plan indicated by
! Col. Moller yesterday is to consider
| abollshing some Of the stop signs on
! these seven boulevards which lie
! WITHIN the congested part of the city,
/ !eaVlng the boulevard system in effect
/ In the outlying areas.
| Col. Moller explained Yesterday that
there was no intention on the part
| of the traffic department when the
complete list was made public TO paint
| the stop signs on all % of them in
! the immediate future. He said the
original plan was to establish these
boulevards from time to time as they
could be marked, but that a technical
question was raised in connection with
! street car stops as TO whether the
stop signs were legal unless the bouIe-
wards on which they were painted had
been formally designated as part Of
/ the regulation.
| Purpose Explained
| In order to avoid any DISPUTE Of
such a technicality, it was explained,
! the complete list of streets that were
| to be made boulevards We're placed on
the official list. The painting Of the
stop signs, however. was confined to
the seven thoroughfares now being
actually used as boulevards.
The street railway companies at a
public conference at the District
Building objected to vehicuIar traffic
being given the right of way over
street cars at all points where tracks
crossed boulevard highways Fol
| lowing this conference the street rail
way officials met with representa-
! tives of the Utilities Commission and
the traffic department and settled the
| dispute at all but 10 of the corners
| where street car lines and boulevards
| intersect.
At more than 20 points the trafTic
| officials agreed to do away with the
| necessity of stopping the street cars
by placing traffic officers on duty. At
eight of the intersections, the street
railways agreed to stop their cars be-
| fore crossing with the understanding
| that a street car by coming to a
! stop would not lose the right of way
| which would require ii to wait for a
| long line of boulevard traffic to pass
May Settle Question.
| There still remain 10 intersections
at which no agreement could be reach
ed and the Utilities Commission has
| been planning to call public hearing
| to decide whether the street cars
should stop at those points. Most
of these 10 crossings are in the down
town part of the city. however and
therefore if Director Eldridge and Col.
| Moller should decide TO abolish some
| of the existing stop signs for traffic in
| the downtown portion of the city il
may at the same time dispose of the
street-car-stop question.
Traffic Director Eldridge will return
| from his vacation Monday or Tuesday
and resume active direction of the
traffic situation.
! After his conference with Col. Mol
Ter yesterday, Engineer Commissioner
Bell declared that he is anxious to
support Director Eldridge and Col.
Moller in their effort to improve the
general traffic situation, but he said
he believed too many stop signs, par
ticularly in the central part of the
- 4