Evening star., 1930-11-30
MOTORING HAZARDS
AIRED At MEETING
Problems Which Confront
Tourists Discussed by
A. A. A. Official Board.

Road conditions that hamper the
motor touring caravan of the Nation,
causing loss of time, congestion and, in
many instances, acting as travel hazards,
received a thorough airing at the recent
annual meeting in Washington Of the
Advisory Committee to the National
Touring Board of the American Auto
mobile Association.
The committee, which consists of
touring experts of A. A. A. motor clubs
throughout the country and which W.
c. Bryant. well known attorney of De-
troit, Mich. heads as chairman of the
National Touring Board, made its in
dictment of so-called touring nui-
sances" on the basis of complaints
registered by thousands of motorists
during the last touring season.
Adverse Conditions Cited.
Among the conditions cited in the
ban of the travel experts were:
l. The lack of uniformity in traffic
regulations with particular stress on the
constant changes in speed rules and the
requirements as to the left-hand turn
from village to village. town to town,
city to city and State to State.
2. Traffic lights that have sprung up
in thousands of small towns and sub
urban sections.
g. Failure of many cities to mark
through highways or to designate belt
lines around congested urban areas.
f. Compelling motorists to use freshly
oiled and tarred roads.
S. The presence on main travelled
highways Of a multitude of advertising
signs initiating danger and direction
sgns.
Chairman Bryant made the following
c%o i,o -
ings Of the board:
THE lack of uniformity in traffic
regulations throughout the country is,
to my mind. the most serious detriment
to pleaSurable and economical motor
touring today. A great many of the
protests made to me personally dealt
with this particular situation. In view
of the availability of the national uni
form motor vehicle code and the ma
tional municipal traffic ordinance to all
States and communities, the users of
the highway are persistently and rightly
demanding more progress toward the
ideal of national uniformity in traffic
rules and regulations. There Is no
doubt at all that uniformity, in addi-
ton to making motor touring more
pleasurable and less expensive. would
help to relieve congestion and mini
miZe the accident hazard. Confusion
is a breeder of accidents.
Traffic Light Growth.
"The mushroom growth of traffic
lights in small communities has as
sumed the aspects of a plague Lights
have been erected at thousands of
points on the main streets of the
Nation. where they serve only to i'm
pede the flow of travel, and where a
boulevard stop sign would answer amply
the requirements of safety. A few
States have already adopted standard
to govern the erection Of these lights.
1t is high time that other States were
doing likewise TRAFFIC lights outside
congested areas should be predicated
not merely on the existence Of side
streets, but on the amount of trafflc
emerging from these side streets into
main arteries.
THE marking of main highways
through cit es and designation of belt
lines around metropolitan areas, if uni
versally adopted, would greatly expedite
long distance travel and would not pre-
vent stop overs by motorists deSirouS
of making a visit or a purchase.
Roads must, of course, be tarred and
oiled. AS a general rule highway on
cials take precautions looking to the
interest, comfort and safety Of the
travelling public. But there are still
too many sections where the practice
of tarring or oiling the entire surface
of the road at one time, instead of
shoulder at q time, is still followed.
This is a practice that makes for messy
motoring and causes q lot Of resent
ment."