Evening star., 1927-05-17
RHODE ISLAND AVE.
HELDDANCEROUS
Motorists Declare Frequent
Changes From ArteriaI
Status Cause Confusion.
BY WILLIAM ILLMAN.

by The Star from motorists who use
the street and who are emphatic and
insistent in their demands for action
to clear up the situation, which was
climaXed last week in the accident
that caused the death of Joseph Gal
lagher. Georgetown dental student.
An investigation of the situation
discloses that complaints against con
ditions are Soundly based. in that the
character of the street changes from
arterial to non-arterial so often, be
tween North Capitol and Thirteenth
streets. that all right t-of-waY rules, to
all practical purposes, are completely
nullifed. At six intersections--the
most important ones along Rhode Is
land avenue--the street loses its arte-
rial character and cross traffic is
given equal rights. Although this is
the case, motorists on Rhode Island
avenue are given no warning of the
different status of the thoroughfares
upon which they are travelling.
Result Called Dangerous.
The result. to the onlooker, is a dan.
gerous confusion that is held to be
without a parallel in the city. Assum-
ing itself to have the right of way uni
verSally accorded to arterial traffic, the
vehicular stream on Rhode Island ave-
nue. proceeds at legally high speeds
across intersections, with the result
that it finds itself menacingly en-
tangled with cross traffic, which is not
forced to stop at the more important
thoroughfare.
The situation is traceable to the
unique character of the street and the
fact that street cars, through an espe-
cial ruling, are exempted from the reg
ulatton which requires all vehicles to
stop at arterial highways.
Changes Without Warning.
An analysis of the avenue discloses
that at the six intersections where it
is crossed by street car tracks, Rhode
Island avenue abruptly becomes non
arterial without warning to those
travelling it. In fact, due to the spe-
cial exemption accorded the street
cars, the Croks-street traffic virtually
assumes the right of way by follow.
ing the exa mple of the street cars
No sign Of eny description and no
especial provision in the traffic regu-
lations warns the Rhode Island avenue
traffic of this sharp "about-face" in
the character of the thoroughfare.
To complicate the situation and
make it more confusing and dan
gerous is the fact that the cross
streets at which these changes occur
are relatively heavily travelled. From
Thirteenth street eastward these
streets include: Eleventh, Ninth,
Seventh, New Jersey avenue, Florida
avenue and Fourth street. At Sew
enth street, in particular, and in
lesser degree at Eleventh, Ninth and
New Jersey avenue, the volume of
travel is such that the ENHANCEMENT
of traffic at all hours is exceptionally
hazardous. according TO complainants
A study of the situation by The Stars
investigator emphatically Substan-
tiated this allegation.
Traced to Street Cars.
Absence of markers on either the
cross streets or on Rhode Island ave-
nue. itself. is explained by the fact
that the street car companies, with
the support of the Public Utilities
Commission, refused to abide by the
stop provision of the arterial high
way regulation. The commissio
took the position that the street cars,
each carrying so or more passengers,
served the greater number and should
not be forced to yield right of way
to any other transportation medium
Of smaller capacity on the streets
To this the traffic Office. by non-
action in the matter. assented. As a
result. when marking the arterial
highways with stop" signs, excep-
tions were made in the cases of those
cross streets that had car lines.
Placing such signs at these inter
sections would have been unfair to
the motorist, traffic officials say. With
the street cars ignoring the signs.
their effect would have been nullified
largely, and asking the motorists to
stop without imposing the same re-
quiranent on all vehicles would have
been discriminatory, it is held
MOtOrist Sends Protest.
The result Of this is that VIRTUALLY
no right of-way rule exists on Rhode
Island avenue" declares one motorist,
who uses the street twice daily and
who recounts numerous collisions and
near-Collisions that he has seen i'll the
course Of his daily journeys.
Il have seen more collisions. seri-
GUS and otherwise, and narrowly
averted crashes on Rhode Island ave-
nue. than on all the other streets OF
the city" he writes. The intersec'
ton of Seventh street and Rhode
Island avenue undoubtedly is the
worst in town. The accident of last
Tuesday night that resulted in the
death Of Joseph Gallagher merely eli
NAKED a long series of similar mis-
haps that is due to the fact that no
one has any idea which line OF trahlc
has the right of way
Others Voice Complaints.
Similar complaints are voiced by
many others whose experience has
been the same.
Furthermore, figures of the Trattic
Bureau bear out the charges that
these intersections are the most dan
gerous In the city.
The need for remedial action is held
to be desperate and several proposals
are offered. One of these, upon which
agreement seems to be fairly general,
is that at heavily travelled intersec-
tions, one street or the other should
be arterial and should be clearly
marked. "lf Seventh street accommo-
dates more cars than Rhode Island
avenue, the latter should be marked
with a stop sign" is the proposal OF
one motOriSt whose car figured IN
collision at the corner because Of the
"hit-or miss system now preValing.
Traffic Officer Proposed.
According to an official of the Pub
lie Utilities Commission, who declares
this danger was discussed when the
question of making Rhode Island
avenue an arterial highway was
brought up, 1t was agreed that traf'
fic officer would he kept continually
on duty at Seventh street and Rhode
Island avenue This has not been
done. he says. although ii was accept
cd as the most logical solution of the
difficulty.
Stationing an officer at this point
Of course. would make traffic on both
streets subject TO his direction regard