Evening star., 1925-08-08
CROSSING SAFETY
. PLAN FOR WALKERS
Interval Between Change in
Signals to Allow Clear
ing of Walks.

A plan to make all busy intersec-
tions safe for pedestrians by leaving
an interval of time between the
changing of the signal to enable those
who are In the middle of the street
to get across will be inaugurated
Tuesday morning at Fourteenth
street and Pennsylvania avenue.
This was announced today by Act
ing Traffic Director I. C. Moller fol-
lowing a conference with Inspector E..
w. Brown, at which the desirability
OF bringing about more systematic
regulation of both vehicular and
pedestrian travel at downtown corners
was thoroughly discussed.
Plan Advocated by Star.
The scheme which the traffic officials
finally decided to try out is subStan-
TALLY the same as was advocated by
The Star through its columns and in
moving pictures months ago. of hav-
Ing the traffic officers leave intervals
between signals for traffic from one
direction to clear the intersection be-
fore releasing the flow Of vehicles and
walkers from the other direction.
Col. Moller said that IL the plan is
successful at Fourteenth street and
Pennsylvania avenue It will be put
into effect throughout the city where
traffic is regulated by policemen.
Realizing that Pennsylvan mia avenue
Is too wide to enable pedestrians to
get from one curb to the other with
out pause. safety zones will be painted
in the middle of the street on each
side and adjacent to the car tracks.
When the system goes into effect
Tuesday, there will be an officer at
each of the four corners. in addition
TO the man at the semaphore. Here
Is Col Moller's explanation OF how
the plan will work:
Idea Is Explained
When traffic and pedestrians are
moving north and south on Four
teenth street and the officer is ready
to change the direction, he will blow
one long blast on his whistle. This
will mean that no more vehicles will
start across and no more pedestrians
shall step off the curb. Vehicles in
the middle of the intersection will
contiue across as rapidly as posi-
BILE and pedestrians who have started
across will pause in the nearest safety
zone at the car track. If the pedes-
trian has passed the center safety
zones, he will continue to the oppo-
site curb.
When the intersection is thus
cleared the officer will give two blasts
on the whistle, which will be the sig
nal for trafffc and pedestrians to start
across east and west on Pennsylvania
9 y .ae. The officer may turn the
semaphore after the first blast on the
whistle. but traffic in the opposite
direction must not move until the
two blasts are given"
Col. Moller said the four officers at
the curb lines will be there to see that
pedestrians do not start across at the
wrong time. While pedestrians are
crossing north and south the officer
will be halting thoughtless pedestrians
who might start across east and west
When the direction changes they will
halt the pedestrians from going north
and south.
Asks for Cooperation.
In announcing the try7out. Col. Mol
Ter made an urgent appeal to all who
walk to enter into the plan in q spirit
of cooperation.
This is to be a sincere effort to
make the crossings safer for pedeS-
trians, but 1t can only be accomplished
If the pedestrians do their share by
moving with the traffic. We will not
keep the officers at the curb perma-
nently, but they will be stationed there
until the city becomes thoroughly fa-
miliar with the opera ton of the whis-
tie arrangement"
At present traffic officers blow their
whistles as they are about to turn
the semaphore, but there is no sys-
tematfc interval during which pedes-
trians halfway across may get to
safety.
More than six months ago The Star
made observations at various down
town intersections which showed the
necessity for a sufficient interval of
time between the blowing of the
whistle and the changing of the sign
to enable Both vehicles and pedestri-
ans In the middle of the intersection
TO complete the journey before the
releasing Of traffic in the opposite di-
rection.