Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-28
ROTARY LEFT TURN
IS SCHEDULED TO co
HERE BY OCTOBER |.
Crosby FavorS Subcommit-
tee Finding, Practically AS
Suring Early Change.
ELDRIDGE TO SUBMIT
MINORITY REPORT
Assistant Traffic Director Clings to
Belief Present Method Is
Better in Capital.

oCLGCI III Ndp4toA'
Washington's rotary left turn prob
ably will be relegated to the limbo of
notable traffic experiments on or about
October /.
This became a practical certainty to-
day when Gen. Herbert B. Crosby,
police Commissioner of the District,
gave his whole-hearted approval to the
recent finding of the subcommittee on
operating regulations of the Commits
sioners Committee on traffic rules,
calling for abolition of the left turn.
The subcommittee majority report
calling upon the Commissioners to
abolish the rotary turn and return to
the inside" or orthodox turn favored
by the National Conference on Street
to the General Committee before
october 1, will be acted upon by the
committee and transmitted to the Com
miSSioneTS in the form of a recon-
mendation for traffic rules revision.
EIdridge Remains Obdurate.
Only one stumbling block is believed
to remain in the way of the abolition
of the rotary turn here-the diehard
opposition of Assistant Traffic Director
M. o. Eldridge, a member of the sub
committee, who cast the only dissenting
vote to the abolition report, who plans
to submit to the General Committee a
minority report calling upon the COM
mittee and the Commissioners, in the
name of safety, not to abolish the
rotary turn.
But Mr.. Eldridge today admitted he
holds little hope for the retention of the
unorthodoX turn.
News of the action of the subcommit-
tee, composed of Charles P. Clark, gen.
eral manager of the American Automo-
bile Association; Theodore P. Noyes of
The Washington Star, Capt. Ray c.
Montgomery, superintendent of the
United States Park Police; Seldom M.
Ely and Mr.. Eldridge, leaked out, &C
cording to Mr.. Clark, chairman, before
it was ripe" the subcommittee plan
ming to withhold all its recommended
tons for general report to the gen.
eral committee before October.
1t is the practice of the District Com
missioners, on a point where one MEM
Der IS most concerned, to abide by the
decision of that member and approve
or disapprove as he votes.
Thus, it is regarded as a practical
certainty the Commissioners will abolish
the rotary turn, Commissioner Crosby
feeling about it as he does.
Crosby Fayors Abolition.
Gen. Crosby today said he favored
the abolition of the rotary turn on
The %S>und that it is not in uniformity
with the regulations in other cities in
the country. The Capital, which attI acts
a large number of motor tourists, should,
OF all cities in the country, he thinks
n a
mas found, he said, that the rotary turn
here has caused no end of confusion
to the visiting motorists and should be
done away with in favor of the turn
sponsored by the National Conference
of Streets and Highway Safety and in
force in most of the cities in the coun-
try.
Mr.. Clark, chairman of the operating
regulations subcommittee, today said
he did not expect the general commit
tee would overrule the subcommittee on
the left-turn matter. He believes the
approval by Gen. Crosby of the action
of the subcommittee will strengthen the
ma jority reports case before the gen.
eral committee.
Mr.. Eldredge said today he will hand
in his minority report, calling for re-
tention of the rotary turn, over the
heads of the members of his subcom-
mlttee and despite the recently an
nounced decision of his chief, Traffic
Director w. H. Harland, to abide by
any decision of the Commissioners
Traffic Committee.
Believes Turn Is Safer.
The assistant traffic director said he
was preparing the minority report as
matter of principle, because he be-
lieYes the rotary turn, in spite of its
on-uniformity, is the safest possible
left turn.
The rotary turn, in operation in the
Capital for several years, has been the
object of attacks from a great many
angles. Straw votes have been taken
on the subject, it has been the butt of
many broadsidas from local papers, the
American Automobile Association, civic
bodies and many individuals. Time and
again the fight against the turn has
been waged, but Mr.. Harland and Mr.
Eldridge have sponsored it through
every attack and 1t has stayed in force
because they wanted it.
The orthodox" left turn recon-
mended by the subcommittee would be
that which is made here now at cross
ings not controlled by lights or police.
The driver would advance on a green
light to the center of the intersection,
turning sharp into the stream of traffic
proceeding to his left.