Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-22
Mntnrist Rehs vior.

y connection With the eiIcat;oaa!
e.-nraie71 70 t.sch pedestrian? 70 obey
tne lights and crossing policemen It
e4hnoves the r-otorist 70 turn over
r%~ lAef In his driving behavior ~
intersections. The campaign for walk
e"s. which is now under wsv and which.
II the Commissioners heed tn. p-t:tions
az orwar1izs lions and the TrafIic Bureau,
Will b. followed by strict enforcement
et the existing regulation relating -
PEDESTRIANS. stresses again the fact that
II motorists expect t'e cooperation Of
~. walkers they must themselves SET
IA: p.ce.
Thee can b. no possbl. fairness in
expecting tie much iarasssd pedestrian
Is val patiently for the green light be-
fc-e setting out scross an intersection
and th.n to be threatened by drivers
who PASS the painted white line or
start I'D or tn. caution signal. Like
wise Their. can be no logical argument
for pedestrian control If risht-turning
drivers simply ignore those walking
wasn they swing around tn. corner
eiractly into the stream Of pedestrians
proceeding on the green Light.
These practices, unfortunately, are
prevalent in Washington today and no
needVay can be expected in securing
the good viii and aid OF the walker for
the betterment of traffic conditions
while they continue. Pedestrian control
is In force in q good many cities of the
country. It is not designed and has
rot shown itself to be regulation
to sive the motorist a monopoly Of the
streets. On the contrary, motorist and
pedestrian wcrk in harmony for the
protection OF both and for the good Of
the ma jority. TIL" r-1tcrist is given
clear way on the green or go signal,
while the walker, in return, is granted
full reciprocal privileges.
There sre many who argue that Pc
destrians should be free from regula-
ton and that they should be permitted
unressricted use of the street because
they are constantly in peril. In fact
enc faoc.;ous writer to The Star in
CURED If 4 pedestrian death in the Dis
trict should be considered natural or
accidental" The fact remains, how
ever. that I'll. streets Of all large cities
are becoming Sd congested that no one
clsss of street user, while on the street,
should be granted entire freedom.
Sidewalks are furnished for walkers
ara streets for fast-moving traffic. All
street trafic is controlled and 1t log
icslly follows that when the walker
deserts the sidewalk for the street, he,
too, should come under the general con-
troll. It Is for his own protection and
for the frictionless movement of trafic.
Naturally the responsibility for safety
Is greater upon the motorist than upon
the walker. The former is driving a
potentially dangerous vehicle, against
which the latter is defenseless. Accord
irgly, the motorist must exercise ex-
tren1e care. He must stop and stay
stopped" until the signal flashes green:
he must not encroach upon pedestrian
domain, and when he does encroach In
making q right turn he must do 50
ccurteously. slowly and with scrupulous
regard for the fact that in that par
ticular mansuver his rights are entirely
subordinated to those OF the pedestrian.
When this is dons and when pedestrians
come to the realization that the ex-
iSencies Of present conditions demand
that every street user be regulated, then
the National Capital will be q better
place IN which to live, walk and drive.