Evening star., 1925-08-20
Experimental Regulations
Declared Taxing Drivers
"to Limit"
COL. MOLLER DEFENDS
TRAFFIC BUREAU WORK
Says Real Effort Is Being Made
to Solve Problems and Asks
Cooperation.
BY THEODORE p. MOVES.


today may be accepted as a criterion,
Washington motorists have about
reached the limit of their ingenuity in
trying to keep pace with ''experi-
mental regulations proposed by the
office of the director of traffic
Publication yesterday of new
scheme for right and left hand turns.
advocated by Assistant Traffic Direc-
tor Moller, has brought the entire
traffic situation to a head and has
caused many motorists to assert that
at the present time Washington is the
most over-regulated city in the
United States, and that the traffic
code has been turned into "a hodge
podge Of contradictory instruction
which no motorist can hope to
follow"
Automobile drivers here are in
favor OF anything that will promote
the smooth running of automobile
traffic and. likewise, in favor of any
measure that will insure safety for
the pedestrian, but the multiplicity
or regulations that motorists here
have been strangled with In the last
Few months are rapidly approaching
the saturation point.
Pedestrians Ignore Signals.
Local motorists are taking partic-
ular exception to the new plans being
tried out at congested corners on
pedestrian traffic. They believe that
II they are to be SO heavily regu-
lated at least there should be
some measure adopted to control the
walker, pointing out that although
the motorist Is compelled to wait for
signals from the officer. the pedes-
TRAN, in a large number of cases.
goes right ahead, regardless of sig
naIs' secure in the knowledge that
there is no law to stop him.
Il don't mind being forced to per
FORM all sorts of gyrations in order
10 protect the pedestrian" commented
urlVer OF many years experience to-
day, because they should be pro-
tected, but 1 do object to being
stalled on the street for several
minutes only to be stopped again
when the signal is Go for some
careless walker who is needless of re-
there is single motorist in Wash
inston who will not cooperate in
every way TO make the streets safer
Tor walkers If the. walkers themselves
VIII show that they appreciate what
Is being done and help to work out
some plan for their protectisfA"
others believe that the new turn
ing scheme to be put into effect at
Fourteenth street and PENNSYLVANIA
avenue will prove to be a menace to
automobile traffic throughout the CITY.
Turning Change Confusing.
Motorists here have been taught
that when they wanted to make a left
hand turn they should approach an
intersection slowly and in the middle
of the street, with arm extended.
They have always felt that this was
the logical manner TO avoid turning
into oncoming traffic. According TO
the new plan they are supposed to
go to the right-hand curb and stop
until they get the proper signal.
1t Is realized, of course, that the
turning problem is one that delays So
luton of pedestrian safety at cross
walks. They also realize that there
are a good many of the smaller cities
of the United States that use this sys-
TEN.
Many believe, however, that any
change in the fundamental turning
rule from what it is today in Wash
ington, New York, Chicago. Detroit
and other cities will do nothing but
cause the greatest confusion and possi-
bly, serious accidents.
A prominent Washiastonian, who
is both pedestrian and car driver, sum-
married the whole situation effective
ly today when he said:
Il have tried Conscientiously to keen
up with all the new regulations" he
said; II have stopped at the boulevard
streets despite the low visibility Of the
inadequate stop signs; 1 have had my
headlights adjusted and tilted; l have
parked only within the regulations and
on the side of the street where it was
permitted between the hours of 8
o'clock and 9:15 and o'clock and 6:
have kept within the speed limit:
tried to be courteous to pedestrian
traffic and obey the law in both spirit
and act, but if any more new regula-
tions are put on me before / have had
ones there will certainly be many
times when l will be unconsciously
violating the law"
MolIer Asks Cooperation.
Col. Moller, in an interview today,
minimized the confusion caused to mo-
torist by tryouts of new plans, and
urged that every one cooperate with
the traffic director.
I'VE are trying to do the best we
can to regulate traffic in the District
or Columbia, ne said. The new turn
ing scheme at Fourteenth street and
Pennsylvania avenue is purely expert
mental. l have had it in mind for
many weeks because of the success
that 1t has enjoyed in other cities.
1.-The motorist of Washington has
shown a fine spirit of cooperation.
There is no attempt on the part OF
this Office to destroy this cooperation
by saddling the motorist with too
much regulation.
II would like very much to see that
the turning plan be given a thorough
tryout 1t may solve the problem of
turns in Washington. II 1t does not
and proves irksome as we'll as a hin
drance to traffic, it will promptly be
abandoned.
IF our attempts 20 improve the
situation here are shown to be wrong,
1 can assure local drivers that this
office will be the first to admit it and
to make every effort to correct it. Use
of the intersection at Fourteenth street
and Pennsylvania avenue for expert
mental purposes was brought about
by it's proximity to the traffic direc-
tors office and because of its impor-
tance as a busy section of the city.
There will probably be many moro
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