Evening star., 1927-07-18
Automatic Signals Proposed
for 13 New Streets and
5 intersections.
FUNDS CUT BY FAILURE
TO RENEW OLD PERMITS
Iirector Also Favors Change ia
Fire Warning System in Pro-
gram for Year.

Eighteen projects for extending the
Nstr1cts system Of automatic traffic
fhts, involving the expenditure Of
ont $270,00O, which have IN held
abeya.ce since the sensational ex.
use of irregularities in the Traffic De.
7rtment in "ction with the pur.
chase Of signals relative to thefirst two
a9ntrcats, we're prepared today by W.,
lam H. Harland.
The tentative schedule installa.
tlons was mapped out by n. Harland
ana specifications for the signals are
expected 70 be drawn as soon as the
Comm issiorers approve the program.
Instead Of $350.0G0 which Congress
intended to make available for addi.
tional traffic lights, Mr.. Harland re.
feaied that the Traffic Department ac-
ually has $271.416 because Of the
1ilure Of all District motorists to re.
Jew their drivers permits before July
l. The fees derived from the re.
newal OF permits prior to July l, the
traffic director explained, went into
the rund for the purchase of new
traffic signals, but those taken in
after that date revert to the gen.
cral revenues Of the District and ap.
parently are lost, in so far as the
Traffic Department is concerned.
Only 9O,472 Renewed.
According to Mr.. Harland's figures.
90,472 old permits were renewed up to
July 1. The new permits cost $3 each,
and the process of renewal produced
exactly s2.1 1,416 for the traffic light
fund. Had many of the veteran
drivers who waited until after July
to procure new permits applied within
the time limit fixed by Congress. Mr..
Harland said, the fund would have
approached the $3.50, 1000 mark, and
Washington would have benefited by
few more traffic lights. The first i'm.
portant late installation planned by
Mr.. Harland covers Rhode Island
avenue from Iowa Circle to Fourth
street northeast. Recommendations
COR carrying out this project will be
submitted to the Commissioners
shortly.
The other installations which have
been placed tentatively on Mr.. Har-
lands program vary somewhat from
those planned last Winter by Col. I. c.
Moller, former assistant director Of
traffic, who was forced to resign as a
result of the traffic light scandal. The
majority of them provide for net
work in the downtown area, par.
ticularly on the heavily Travelled
arteries where congestion is worst. A
number Of intersection lights at points
where traffic is heavy also are plan.
ned. These include such intersections
as Wisconsin avenue and NJ street;
Eleventh street and Pennsylvania
avenue southeast, Florida and Con-
necticut avenues; Seventeenth street
and Pennsylvania avenue and Jackson
place and Pennsylvania and Madison
place and Pennsylvania avenue.
Larger Projects Proposed.
The big projects proposed by Mr..
Harland are the following:
Maryland avenue northeast, from
Second to Fourteenth street; z street,
from Thirteenth street to Union Sta
ton; Thirteenth street, from E street
to Florida avenue; Fifteenth street.
from Rhode Island avenue to Florida
avenue; Seventeenth street, from La
fayette Square to Florida avenue;
Eighteenth street, from K street to
Florida avenue; K street, from Wash
ington Circle to Tenth street; Twenty.
second street, from K street to Mas
sachusetts avenue; Connecticut ave-
nue., from Calvert street to Cathedral
avenue; Ninth street, from Pennsyl-
vania avenue to New York avenue;
Vermont avenue, from H street and
along the west side Of MACPHERSON
Square and north on Fifteenth street
to M street, and Fifteenth street, from
II street to X street.
An entirely new set of specifications
will be drawn for these installations,
Mr.. Harland revealed. Those drafted
for the BIDS which were rejected by
the Commissioners following the traf-
fic light investigation by the Federal
Bureau of Efficiency have been dis
carded and the new ones, the traffic
director pointed out, will he designed
to open competition to every compe-
tent firm manufacturing automatic
traffic signals and accessories. These
specifications, he believes, will result
in the District obtaining a lower
price on the equipment than hereto
fore, when bidding was restricted.
FavOrs Fire Signal Change.
Mr. Harland also disclosed that he
IS not at ali pleased with the present
:lfIunSomSUI Ol HdNlnS tIIS llAC "hA IL
ing signal attached to the traffic lights
and indicated that he likely will OUT
line some other scheme for considera-
ton by the Commissioners.
Mr.. Harland explained that WASH
ington perhaps is the only city In the
United States having automatic traffic
lights to which is attached a fire
warning signal. Replies to written
inquiries made to traffic officials in
other cities, he said, show that the
fire warning signal usually Is bell or
siren connected with police or fire de-
partment communications systems.
The traffic director thinks that such
system would prove more salts
factory in the District.
However, Mr.. Harland is confident
that the present arrangement OF plac-
ing the signal control apparatus In
fire engine houses can be improved
upon materially. In the first place. he
said, an automatic switch should be
installed on the control apparatus to
replace the men stationed at the four
control points in the fire houses, whose
duties consist entirely Of turning on
and off a. switch whenever fire appara-
tus is to cross light.controlled inter-