The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-08-22
With The
AlibiArtists
Motorists Should Obey
New Right and Left
Hand Turn Rules
Save Undertaken Job
By DONALD McDOUGAL

to have got hostile at the new
, scheme for pulling right and left
turns without bothering the
undertaken.
They're afraid that after wait
ing two or three minutes to get
the go" sign. they'll have to
wait again because some hog
walker will monopolize the cross
walk when it's the motorists
turn to use 1t. Unless human
nature has changed an awful lot
since half past ten last night,
that's just about what some Of
them will do.
There's no earthly reason why
they should do it, and that
makes the doing of 1t absolutely
certain.
The cross-walk is q sort OF
No.man's land-it's used as a
sidewalk by the pedestrian and
a roadway by the motorist But
it can't be used by bo.h at tie
same time, without a coronAr's
inquest.
The majority of pedestrians,
and motorists as well, are grown
up persons, and you'd naturally
suppose they'd approve a SEIZED
uiG IOT use III C1OSE"WdlhS the
same as you would, for instance,
a bathroom schedule In a crowd
ed flat.
And the courtesy and consider
alton with which motorists and
pedestrians grab the cross-walk
without care or thought OF others
is paraleIled only In a nursery
with a couple Of two-year-olds
squabling over a rag doll.
If you're convinced that autos
and people can't use the street
crossing at the same time without
too much expense for anaesthet.
les, surgical instruments. burial
certificates, etc., then you're
bound to admit they have to use
it separately.
That's all there is to the new
right and left turn proposition.
We haven't the slightest doubt
that a better arrangement is pos
sible. But where is It? Who's
got it? How does 1t work? No
body seems to know. Then as
far as washington Ia concerned,
there might as well not be any
better plan.
In the last two months three
people have been killed at street
crossings. and that. 1t seems to
US, is the important consideration.
Whether this turning plan Is the
best there is or only the second
best or the twenty second best.
doesn't mean much.
If it will stop these killings,
we're for it. We believe it will,
If motorists and pedestrians
Here's the way 1t works from
the motorists side of the cross
walk:
You're going up Fourteenth
street for a right turn into
Pennsylvania avenue. What you
do depends on whether the traffic
sign says Co or Stop
If the sign says go" you pro-
coed just as you would under the
old plan, as far as the croSswalk
leading across Pennsylvania
avenue.
But you stop short Of that
crosswalk, because pedestrians are
using it-Fourteenth street traf-
fic having the right of way.
When the traffic officer changes
the sign, giving the avenue the
right of way be blows one toot
on the whistle, and you stay
right where you are. Don't you
dare, drive over that cross-walk
yet-There's people on it and
they've got to have a chance to
reach the sidewalk.
Don't make the mistake OF
driving on because you can't see
anyone on the crosswalk. The law
is there. and it'll cost you MONEY
If you run into it, When It's
time to go, you'll hear two toots
on the whistle, and then go to 1t.
Bust yourself. But not until you
hear those two toots.
If you want to make a left
turn instead of a right. you do
just the same except that instead
of heading in toward the cross
walk, you run parallel with 1t
until you've passed the center
line of the Avenue, then you
park parallel to the cross-wai.l
and as near to 1t as you can get.
eve don't see the advantage of
this. but them's the orders).
When you get two whistles
you make the left turn.
That's the way you make the
right and left turns when you
get the go" sign as you come
up to the Avenue.
If you get the stop sign in
stead then you stop just the
same as you do now when you
get the stop" sign. Then when
you get the "go" sign you go
ahead just as though you'd got it
in the first place. You run into
the Avenue and wait at the cross.
walk for the two whistles.
Make sure the two whistles
aren't for traffic on the other
street. Look back at the traffic
sign and see that it says go"
II may give you a kink In the
neck but that's better than giving