Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-26
TRAFFIC ENGINEER
MAY TAKE PLACE
OF DIRECTOR HERE
Committee on Organization
and Finance Considering
Making Change.
NEW OFFICIAL WOULD
SURVEY LOCAL NEEDS
Police, Under Plan, to Continue
Enforcement and Handling
of Auto Permits.

Drastic reorganization of the present
eet-up of traffic administration IN
Washington is under consideration by
the Committee on Organization and
Finance of the Traffic Advisory Com
mittee appointed by the District Com
missioners.
The cardinal feature of the new plan
provides for abolition of the Office OF
traffic director and the substitution of
q traffic engineer, stripped of all the
directional and judicial authority now
imposed in the traffic director. The
traffic engineer would be responsible
only to the Commissioners, and his
duties would consist chiefly of making
studies and surveys OF traftlc conditions.
The plan also paves the way for closer
cooperation and coordination of the
various agencies of the District govern
ment now dealing with administration
and enforcement of the traffic act, the
idea of the committee being to prevent
much of the confusion that has existed
in the past in dealing with traffic prob
lens.
Committee of Five.
The proposed traffic engineer would
be responsible only to the District COM
nissioners. To them he would make
recommendations. Under the new set
up, however, these recommendations
would be passed on by a committee OF
five before final action is taken by the
Commissioners. This committee OF nVe
would be composed of representatives OF
the various departments OF the District
government directly concerned with
traffic-the Police Department, the
Highway Department, the corporation
counsels Office, the Public Utliltles
Commission and the Office Of the pro-
81
The Police Department under the
plan of reorganization would continue
the enforcement of the trafhc regula-
tions as it does under the present set
I'm. and also would take over several
OF the duties now performed by the
traffic directors Office such as the is
suance and revocation OF drivers per-
fnits. In addition the committee, IN
contemplation of the enactment OF a
certificate OF Stitle law for the DIS
trict, discussed the feasibility OF hav-
ing the Police Department take over
its administration as well as the regi-
stration Of motor vehicles now done IN
the Office of the superintendent OF
licenses.
Erection Of all traffic signs and the
installation of street markers, now
supervised by the traffic directors
office would be done under the new
plan DY the highway OepdI GAlSAe' DC
lief was expressed by the committee
that the highway department is better
equipped and better qualified to handle
this work
Would CentraIize Work.
Thus, It was pointed out, the closing
OF streets, and the placing Of signs
would be centralized in the highway
department, and there probably would
be no repetition of instances in the
past when one department closed the
street without the knowledge of the
other, and traffic confusion resulted.
BY creating committee composed OF
representatives of the several depart
ments of the District government con-
cerned with various phases of traffic
regulation and control, the opinion pre-
vailed among members of the Traffic
Subcommittee that all problems could
be co-ordinated and worked out salts
factorily before any changes are made
in the traffic code. For instance, it was
said. the Public Utilities Commission
would not route bus line over a street
which the highway department reports
as not being wide enough or in con-
dition to handle the heavy BUSES.