Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30
BY THOMAS J. KEEFE,
General Manager. American Motorists
Association

ASSOClaJlOH.
Scrap the traffic lights in towns,
townships and villages on trunk-line
highways. That is the demand of the
American Motorists Association. which
has opened a drive to free the high
ways of Maryland and Virginia from
the traffic congesting, mountaineering
conditions due to the multiplicity of
unnecessary signal devices.
With few exceptions, the association
maintains, the automatic traffic lights
on trunk line highways serve no good
purpose and tend only to snari traffic
and cause confusion leading to acct
dents.
Their doubtful value has disappeared
entirely with the placing of through
traffic stop" signs along the main
highways Of the various States. These
latter signs were erected in accordance
with the most advanced thought in
traffic control. and in most States the
highway patrols are making a deter
mined effort to enforce the law re-
before entering upon highways so
guarded, the association points out.
Survey Conducted.
survey recently made by the
Greater Washington Motor Club, which
is affiliated with the American Motor
lists Association, of the principal high
ways of Virginia and Maryland shows
that they are now protected with these
stop" signs, and that plans are under
way to extend this protection to all
highways on the primary systems in
Virginia and Maryland. 1t is impera-
tive that communities along the high
ways guarded by the signs adopt the
sensible course of eliminating the auto
matte traffic lights. and that others
follow the same course when these
additional stop" signs are erected.
Where main highways intersect there
is need for definite traffic control at
peak hours, but there is absolutely no
excuse for the hundreds of automatic
lights that now flash red. amber, green
and again amber In various commune
ties, holding up long lines of cars on
highways when not single car. in
many instances. passes on the inter-
Secting street or makes the left turn
on the amber light.
Stupendous sums have been and are
being spent in the building and mainte-
nance of State highways. These roads
are designed to carry vast volume of
traffic, but the object of the road
builders is defeated. or greatly nulli-
fed, by the action of local authorities
in installing automatic signals.
There is no disposition on the part
OF our association to be unduly critical.
1t must be admitted that prior to the
adoption of the new vehicle code no
means were available to local authori-
ties for control of traffic except the
individual traffic officer and automatic
lights. The former was too expensive.
and consequently the latter was
adopted
Lights without Value.
While In some instances the lights
were necessary, in the great majority
OF communities they were and are with
out value. The only explanation of
their presence is that commissioners
and councilmen fell" for the per-
suasive talk of high-powered light
statesmen and saddled their communi-
ties with unnecessary expense while
hindering the free flow of traffic on
the highways.
Seldom is the traffic on any highway
SO dense that gaps do not appear. dur
ing which vehicles on the intersecting