Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-20
Out Of Step.


nothing can equal the latest attempt
of the Traffic Bureau to Justify its con-
tinued use of the present left-hand
turn in Washington. Beset on all sides
because of its irsistent advocacy of a
turn that is used in only one or two of
the smaller cities Of the country and a
turn that is definitely rejected by that
great body Of trafic experts, the
Hoover Conference on Street and
Highway Safety, the Traffic Bureau
has from time to time stanchly re-
iterated its belief that its pet scheme
is the best ever devised. And while all
of these defenses OF the Washington
outside left turn are not answered,
simply because it seems a waste of
time. the little blue chart, which was
issued yesterday, is too perfect to pass
without comment.
-Four left-hand turns are depicted in
the drawing. Three of them are
fundamentally the same. They include
turns used in such centers of traffic
congestion as New York, Philadelphia,
Chicago, Los Angeles and San Fran
cisco. Number one drawing shows the
standard left turn recommended in the
Model Municipal Code and used In
large cities from coast to coast. The
footnote states that there are six haz-
ard points. Number two shows the
method Of making the left turn on the
inside of the center Of the street, mere
~ another and quicker method Of max
ing the Model Municipal or Hoover
turn. Four hazard points are attrib-
uted to this method. Number four
skips to the practically never used left
turn on the red signal, but the same
as the others in execution. Six hazard
points are stressed in this maneuver.
But now comes the perfect part Of the
diagram. Number three is the rotary
left turn now used in Washington.
And proudly and with delightful
naivete the traffic Office exclaims in Its
footnote, mo hazards!"
The Trafac Bureau has probably put
In a great deal Of study on this ques-
ton, but If this chart is meant to be
serious instead of comic it would ap
pear that more study was needed in
order that obvious hazards may be dis
covered In the perfect plan" In the
first place the method used in making
q left-hal1d turn in washington is
violation of one of the fundamental
rules of driving, which is. briefly, Never
turn across the line of traffic coming
from your rear"
This hazard, which is q real hazard,
can be seen any day at any street inter-
waiting on the outside to make q left
turn and a motorist rushing through
the intersection to get through before
the light changes are in imminent
danger of colliding and often do
collide. In the second place, the Wash
ington turn promotes zigzagging from
one lane of traffic to another when an
intersection is approached over which
a policeman has control at certain
periods of the day. If the policeman
40 OAA uupS buAAl NC AlodC AAOii
the outside. 1t he is not it must be
made, the way 1t should be at all times,
from the inside In the third place,
the innocuous right-hand turn is bar
red at any intersection where the traf-
&c ONCE left-turners are congregated.
And In the fourth place, nothing but
congestion is bred-the kind of con-
gestion universally to be avoided and
ininlical to the frictionless movement
of trafhe-by q left turn that In its
very conception Is subversiye to good
driving habits.
Those are a few of the hazards.
There is another phase to the question,
however, and that is that no community
should set itself up as defying the best
traf1c thought of the remainder of the
country. Universally is the goal of ali
cities in the United States in so far as
trafac regulations are concerned. 1t is
the only sensible method to reduce the
terrific accident toll. Washington, the
National Capital, is delaying the day
when the motorist may drive the same
In New York and Chicago as he does
In San Francisco and Houston by per-
sisting in being out Of step with the
rest of the United States.