Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-15

washington's boulevard stop sys'
tenn is coming into disrepute because
of the fragrant disregard of the I'M
portant stop signals by large pro-
portion of the motoring fraternity.
No longer can Congress, the Commits
sioners or the traffic office be blamed
for any confusion that might exist IN
the minds of motorists who wlllfuily
run past the signals. The system Is
now complete. curb signs have been
erected at every intersection and 1t
is distinctly up to the motorist to
obey and for the police to see that he
obeys.
In spite of the fact that nearly two
wears have elapsed since the estab-
lishment of the boulevard and ar
terial system in Washington and local
motorists have had ample time to be-
come thoroughly acquainted with its
operation and purposes. probably
q majority of automobile drivers here
carelessly and defiantly violate its pro-
visions.
The system is so simple to under
stand and so easy to comply with that
it is difficult to analyze the state of
mind of those who disregard it. In
brief, the regulation governing boule-
wards and arterial highways means
Just this: All traffic on the boulevard
has absolute right of way over all
cross street traffic and, furthermore,
intersecting traffic must stop and stay
stopped until the crossing can be
boulevard travel.
It does not mean that cross traffic
should come to stop on entering
boulevard only to start up again i'm
running and unimpeded boulevard
traffic. 1t does not mean that a slow
ing down to ten miles an hour on
entering a boulevard constitutes a
stop, nor a persistent and annoying
pushing in on crowded boulevard
traffic by those on interesting streets.
The boulevard stop plan carries out
to its logical conclusion the modern
theory Of traffic right Of way. To any
driver of an automobile this fact is
obvious. Regardless of whether or
not there are any traffic rules In
force. it will be universally conceded
that a motorist on a narrow street
has the moral right of way over a
driver entering that street from q
narrow alley: that a motorist travel
ing at thirty-1ve miles an hour on
State road has the moral right of
way over those entering from narrow
country roads; that straight-running
traffic has the right of way over those
who deviate from the straight line,
turning or stopping; in short, that the
highways or streets carrying the most
traffic have the moral right Of way
over those streets which carry much
less volume of travel.
In the boulevard plan only those
streets which carry extraordinarily
heavy traffic are designated boule-
wards. For this reason motorists are
given, by regulation, right of way.
Boulevards furnish quick and easy
means Of linking up the suburban
districts with downtown Washington,
but their effectiveness is almost COM
pletely destroyed by lack OF co-opera-
ton.
If all those motorists who have been
daily disrupting the traffic stream on
the boulevards of Washington will
simply put themselves in the other
fellows place and realize with what an
ger and annoyance and sense of peril
they regard the interloper from cross
streets when they themselves are driv-
ing on the boulevards, maximum bener
fits can be obtained from q desirable
system. For those who still are de.
tlant and refuse to cooperate a police
net should be spread which would be
calculated to break up a pernicious
practice. 1t is only in this way that
the boulevard plan can be carried out
to its logical conclusion.
-~-~ee-s-~--
When a member or the schoolboy