Evening star., 1928-11-25
. ACH week sees the installa-
- ton of more traffic lights.
Each week, because of these

Each week, because or theSt
IL new installations, the traffic
situation in Washington improves
Motorists and pedestrians alike
are realizing the need as a safety
measure.
Protests over the installation al
Rhode Island and Florida avenues
are Subsiding. The lights there
were confusing, but a Slight ad-
justment remedied the trouble
The new lights on Fourteenth
street south of Pennsylvania ave-
nue. caused considerable delay:
when first installed. This was
occasioned by improper timing
The timing was planned correctly
but a mechanical imperfection re-
suited, and traffic could not flow
freely. This trouble likewise is
to be remedied.
ImperfectiOns Noted.
Speaking of imperfections, the
lights on Sixteenth street in many
instances have become overlap
ping because of the mercury in
the tube circuits having split up
into small Segments. This, how
ever, has caused no difficulty, and
the director of traffic intends IN
the near future to have all the
lights with the amber overlap
ping.
A while back the Traffic Bureau
through the Bureau of Standards
was experimenting with various
kinds Of white paint. The best
quality that would stand the wear
on the street was sought. A
formula was discovered and now
is being used with considerable
success. Out in Detroit the traffic
officials use yellow paint, which
seems to wear well and is as clear
ly visible as the white. It is known
that different colors wear better
than others. Barns and houses in
the country are often painted a
particular color for this reason.
Red paint seems to stand the suns
rays better than others. Yellow
paint may stand the wear and
tear of the city's streets better
than the white. It might be well
to give it a trial.
Detroit has coined a new one
for the motoriSt who collideS With
another car or person and speeds
away without making his identity
known. In washington such a
driver Is called a "hit-and-run"
driver. In Detroit he is called a
"nit-skip" driver. Maybe it was
coined by the headline writer's on
the Michigan newspapers.
A week ago the James River
Bridge was opened to the public.
This bridge is worth a trip to see.
Good roads lead up to it from both
sides, and while it does not
shorten the time to Norfolk and
Virginia Beach from the National
Capital. it does make the journey
more pleasant. It's span was de-
scribed as the longest in the
United States. 1t is one Of the
longest spans.
Longest" Bridges.
Detroit is soon to have a new
bridge over to Windsor, Canada.
It's span is described as the longest.
The Bear Mountain Bridge over
the Hudson River received the
same appellation. So have the
spans over the Florida Keys and
the bridge leading into st. Peters
burg, Fla. Figures vary as do de-
scriptions. At any rate each one
of the above mentioned is one of
the longest bridges in the country.
The dates set for the automobile
shows are approaching. Interest
is widespread. New York heads
the list.
When last seasons New York
Automobile Show broke all previ-
GUS records for attendance by an
astonishing margin, many people,
both in and outside of the auto
mobile industry, wondered why
1928 showed such a remarkable
Jump in attendance figures. The
show management is preparing
for a record breaking attendance
and volume of business at both
the New York display, to be held
in Grand Central Palace, January
S to IL. and at the Chicago Colise-
UNI, January 10 to 26. This ex-
pectation is not merely idle guess
work. While it was not possible
to explain in any positive manner
last January why the New York
exposition showed such a marked
increase, today it can be clearly
understood in one respect. During
the past few months it has been
ascertained that close to a million
families in the United States who
possessed only one car each year
ago now own two cars. More
than 1900, 900 families. now possess
two or more cars, according 10
estimated figures gathered from
reliable sources.
During the past few years the
number of two-car families has
been steadily increasing, and the
first 10 months of 1928 quite over
shadowed previous years. Obvious
ly many of these present. t-day two
car families were interested n
purchasing their second car at the
time of the automobile shows last
January. even though they might
not have expected to accept de-
livery until Spring. At the nation
al shows this season the percent
age of prospective two-car family
visitors doubtless will be material