Evening star., 1928-03-16
HARLAND ACCUSED
Of SHOWING FAVOR
Simmons Charges Preference
Displayed in Placing
Traffic Lights.

Charges that Traffic Director Harland
Is showing preference 10 street car COM
panies in the placing of automatic trai-
fic sisnals lights were made today by
Repvesentative Simmons Of North Caro-
lima, chairman Of the subcommittee on
District appropriations oil the house ap-
Preparations committee.
Mr. Simmons says that the Commits
s;oners and the Traffic Bureau have
broken faith with his committee IN not
a6her!nc to the program Of traffic light
installation mapped out when the ap-
,,roOriation was asked, and that he IS
coi,1c To make All iSSuc Of 1t, and fight
M the finish 10 have the lights placed
where il was agreed they should go
when the money WAS allocated.
rldridse Revised Plans.
>.~. Si,,n,ous points on; that the CON-
resfeo area is between Sixth and Sev-
ff7feentr streets. X street and Penn
Svlyaria avenue. TWO years ago when
congress. following The recommends
tioy, of the simmons subcommittee. au-
thorizec the use for traffic signal light
installation oE the S350.000 that was
expected 10 come in from renewal Of
drivers licenses, with the understand
ire that j. was to BE- used in the down.
town section. NJ Q. E!dridge. then traf-
&c director. testified. Mr.. Simmons said.
that these lights could be installed and
81 policemen relieved from permanent
traffic duty and & from temporary duty
daily curing rush hours. Mr.. Eldridge
showed the committee every corner
where he proposed 10 place these lights.
=
NF0iier then assistant traffic director.
both appeared before the committee
and said the money was not coming
III as fast as was anticipated. They
had received S274.o00 and submitted
revised plans which in effect controlled
traffic in the congested area.
When the Commissioners and Traffic
Director Harland came into the hear
Ings this year on the question of hiring
additional policemen, they seemed sur
prised. Mr. Simmons declares. TO think
that they were expected TO put in these
downtown traffic lights and relieve the
policemen from traffic duty there. so
that they could be assigned TO other
duties.
Cites Control Program.
During the hearings on the District
appropriation bill Mfr Simmons told
these officials that they were expected
TO place the lights where for two years
they had told Congress, through the
Simmons subcommittee, that they in
tended TO put them.
In discussing the new downtown
scheme. announced by Mr.. Harland
several days ago. Mr.. Simmons calls
attention that under il. K street is
traffic light controlled. Fl and streets
are one-way streets. largely light con-
trolled and G and F streets and Penn
sylvania avenue. the three streets east
and wes. that carry the heaviest traffic
IN the city. are not TO be light con-
1colleo. whereas. E street is to be light
controlled.
Considering the north-and-south
streets, Seventh. Ninth, Eleventh. Four
teenth and Fifteenth. are not to be
Light controlled. and Sixth. Tenth and
Thirteenth streets are TO be light con-
trolled, as well as Fifteenth street north
OF New York avenue. THAT means"
Mr.. Simmons explained. that every
street S'1th double car tracks, with the
exception OF two blocks on z street. is
not - be controlled by lights, but that
every street that carries a great VOL
TINE OF auto traffic, where there are no
street cars. is TO be Light controlled.
This gives right Of way to the street
cars" air. Simmons stresses, making
them exempt from the regulations that
apply 70 automobile and pedestrian
;ranic.
Insists on Downtown Lights.
Mr.. Simmons says he Is snsistent that
the traffic director and the Commission
erS keep their word With Congress and
place the Lights downtown without re-
gard 10 street car locations and treat
everybody alike"
Mr. Simmons has collected data show
ing what has been done with traf1ic sig
nal light control In other large cities,
and points out that New York City has
just finished installing 81 900 900 in
tEafac lights and is controlling traffic
with those lights that II police-con-
fEolled would cost annually Si2,500 900
He says that more than one-haif OF
These lights are On streets carrying
Street car traffic.
In Washington four lights can be
maintained on any one street intersee-
ton for Jess than $40 year." Mr. SIM
mons SAYS. 1T costs 81 200 a year to
maintain policeman is hours a day
st an Intersection. While a part OF
these policemen are paid by the street
car companies direct. they can be trans
4egweG 70 fysaPy places where there are