Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-25
NEW TRAFFIC PLAN
AIMED AT WALKERS
Proposed Rules Also Apply
to Street Car Operation
in Capital.

Control Of pedestrians and street
cars, an authority granted the traffic
director by the first session of the
Sixty-ninth Congress, was for the first
time put in the form of a regulation
in a revised edition of the Traffic Code,
submitted to the District Commission
ers today by William II, Harland with
the recommendation for its adoption.
The new regulation for the control
Of pedestrian traffic is designed TO be
applicable only at intersections con-
trolled by traffic officers or signal de-
vices. At all other cross-walks the
pedestrians will continue to have the
right of way, but the proposed amend
ment provides that "it shall be un-
lawful for a pedestrian to disobey the
signal" Previous attempts at pedes-
trian control have met with reversals
in the courts.
Mr.. Harland seeks to use his au-
thority to regulate street car traffic
by inserting in the regulations new
definition for the word vehicle,
which reads: "Vehicle shall apply to
any appliance moved over highway
on wheels or traction tread, including
street cars. draft animals and beasts
OF burden"
Right-Of.Way Rules.
The proposed regulations dealing
with pedestrians also provided that
they shall yield the right of way TO
vehicular traffic whenever such traffic
is moving on proper signal, but that
drivers of vehicles making turns shall
yield the right of way to pedestrians
on the cross-walks where traffic Off
GERS are on duty.
The proposed revised edition of the
traffic code recommended by Mr.. Har-
land has been simplified and condensed
to about one-half of its present size.
The condensation has been effected
by eliminating all restrictions with
respect to parking, one way streets,
turns at intersections and bridges
all of which are clearly indicated by
signs and are constantly changing.
and therefore, in the opinion of
Traffic Director Harland are of no
particular benefit to the public.
These restrictions probably will be
published in supplement to the resu.
iations but only in sufficient uuan.
titles for the use of the courts and
Police Department
The proposed revised code also con.
tains virtually all of the 40 changes in
the regulations advocated by N. o.
Eldrldse when he was director of
traffic. IN addition to the new amend.
ments by Mr.. Harland. One of the
regulations proposed by Mr.. Eldridse
in his set of 40, which would permit
vehicles to pass on the right as we'll as
the left. has been removed and in it's
Il1r ri EaI
following: "A vehicle overtaking an
other shall pass to the left of the
vehicle so overtaken. No driver shall
attempt to pass another vehicle going
in the same direction on any high
way except where there is an unob-
structed clear course ahead, and nc
driver shall attempt to pass another
vehicle going in the same direction
ut any street intersection unless the
same be controlled by electrical signal
lights or a police officer
Additional Amendments.
Mr.. Harland has added to the regu.
lations amendments to prohibit com.
mercial vehicles from parking in front
of any private dwelling or apartment
house except when actually engaged in
loading or unloading merchandise, and
making it illegal for vehicle to park
for the purpose of making repairs, ex.
cept those of minor nature, and then
only in the case of an emergency. An
other regulation proposed by Mr.. Har-
land is calculated to prevent vehicles
from driving through streets at which
barriers have been placed and signs
erected indicating that the street is
closed.
The revised code also contains a
new plan for the issuance of auto
mobile registration cards which was
advocated some time ago by an en-
ploye of the office of Wade II. Coombs,
superintendent of licenses. 1t pro-
poses that instead of issuing the
registration certificate at the time the
license tag is issued a receipt be
given the owner for payment of the
tag fee and that the registration card
be held up for a period not in ex-
cess of 10 days, during which a police |
officer would check up on the address |
in order to ascertain its accuracy. |
Motorists also would be required to |
report to the director of traffic and |
of licenses any change |
in address within 4S hours after the |
change is made. Adoption of this |
plan, the officials believe. will provide |
an effective check against the falsifi- !
cation of addresses and Will assist the |
Police Department in its work of ap- |
pretending violators.
A slight modification in the present |
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