Evening star., 1928-05-06
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
REQUIRE ENGINEER
Solution Held Dependent on
Correct Data and Aid
of Motorists.

Correct solution OF traffic problems
so as to achieve the greatest possible
benefit for notordom as whole must
come from a careful study Of the vari-
Gus situations involved in satisfactory
vehicular movement on the basis of en-
cineering data. says statement issued
today by national headquarters of the
American Automobile Association. No
survey made with view to correcting
traffic difficulties can be successful un-
less it is carried on cientifically and
with a consideration Of all th2 facts
involved, it is declared.
Pointing out that arbitrary attempts
remedy traffic evils invariably prove
unsuccessful. the statement goes on to
say that the regulation OF vehicular
movements is becoming more and more
problem for the engineer. The A. A..
A. takes the position that once rea-
sonable endeavor is made by traffic au-
thorities to base their regulations on
scientific data which have been analyZed
carefully. it is the duty of every motor
ist to lend his fullest support to the
system o: control which is put into
effect.
Should Be Discarded.
There can be no such thing as sue
cessful amateur formulation of traffic
laws" says the statement. That trial
and error method has so often been
found TO be ineffective. and at times
positively harmful, that 1t should be
discarded summarily. Regulation of
traffic is a task for the trained engineer
and cities in which the problems are
greatest in number and most serious in
compleXity are recognizing the need for
engineering opinion
ITO many casual observer the regu-
lation of traffic consists merely in the
formulation of rule and its arbitrary
enforcement. That would be tenable
II the ultimate purpose were merely to
lay down restrictions. But the primary
aim of traffic regulation is nothing of
the sort. Freer movement of vehicles
is the objective of modern thought on
the traffic control question. and GER
tainly arbitrary regulation defeats such
purpose"
Many { person who has an original
idea. so called, on the ways and means
Of handling traffic in more orderly
manner. the A A. A. statement points
out, errs IN accepting the obvious Solu
ton to given problem when immedi
ate complications may make the sug-
geSted remedy wholly Intellectual.
ONtFtoOhS NIdl fdcI.
Take. for example, the question of
prohibiting left turns" the statement
continues One person may so to an
intersection and say that the best thing
to do is TO eliminate all left turns. He
only visions the unhampered movement
of through traffic, But he overlooks
the fact that If the motoriSt is not per-
mitted TO turn left at that particular
intersection he is going to make his
turn in some other way. If he does not
attempt TO turn between streets he will
be forced TO 90 around the block. and
In place of the one left turn there will
be created three right turns, all having
10 be made through lines of pedestrian
traffic In that instance the effects of
the change are merely transferred from
the motorist group to the pedestrian
In other eases II will be found that pro-
hibition of left turns will be expedient
but only because of conditions which
control that particular phase of the
problem
':The same holds true OF the designa-
tim OF one-way streets They are suc-