Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-19
EVERY AMERICAN COMMUNITY
FACING TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
Situation Reaches Serious Aspect as Eco
nomic Values of Business Life
Are Concerned.

at his destination IN the morning,
which Is his occupation. In the eve.
ming he goes to his natural abode.
where he has invested money. During
the day he uses the streets and side
walks, which are dedicated to his use
Is wen as to that Of vehicles.
The pedestrian cannot, and must
not. be excluded from any study that
has to do with trafic regulation.
Carrying the matter to q further de-
gree, there are the public schools, with
children going In groups Of hundreds
and thousands to and from their homes
and using the streets and highways, so
that, down to the child of s years Of
age, there Is q definite migrating popu-
lation of almost all ages during certain
hours Of the day.
Then there are the play hours Of the
children in the streets, even down to
the tiniest tot, so that this thing has Q
vital aspect for every one and from
which no one dares to turn aside.
Business men must take an interest
in It, because they are the ones who
are investing the money that makes the
city or town a continuing organization.
Business men have said to me: II
would like to see this section where my
building Is located as congested as o
circus. I would like to see 1t like
things you realize that people have
come to buy"
Such men lose sight Of the fact that
the man who attends country fair u
there for day only, at inconvenience
to himself, and that he viii perspife
and have his feet stepped on and viii
eat peanuts and drink whatever they
offer him, because he is there tenn
porartly to satisfy desire Of his heart.
T1wsk ~w,1a t.sN~a 4. ~
| ton, involving perhaps several genera
tons In its making, with the traditions
that are back Of the organization Of
city or town, and the consequence OF
the investment Of money and the best
thought Of the human mind, the busi.
ness man must be careful whether he
says, az want my store so situated that
only the first few who get there can be
conveniently served"
Must Be Unselfsh.
Unless he treats this problem rmsel-
| f1shly with respect to that which the
direct attributes that lie beyond give to
him, he sooner or later Is going to face
the problem that he Is losing trade, be-
cause that factor in trade, human con-
tact, Is not being adequately main
| tanned.
Buses link UP the great cities, so that
the problem is interrelated, no matter
where we live. Nowhere in America can
people diSassociate themselves from the
fact that this Is their immediate prob
lem.
ALI over this country this problem,
that fixes standards of living and fixes
| economic values, is breaking down bar.
riers, so that no individualiStic policy
can be applied to it. The problem in
one community is interrelated with the
problem in other communities. Single
handed solution will not meet it; there
must be united and related effort.
The National Conference on Street
and Highway Safety, composed in
great portion Of men who are devoting
their lives, mentally sand physically, to
this problem, has set up q uniform We
hicIe code as a pattern for the States,
and q model municipal trafnc ords
nance, supplementary to Statewide
regulations, for acceptance by the cities.
rs pointing way to solution.
The conference has gone into this
| problem In the greatest detail. There
Is nothing left that its members know
Of to study. There Is no avenue Of ap-
preach that they have not used. There
Is no person and no influence that they
have not sought to vitalize.
It Is q duty of the States, cities and
towns and of commercial and business
organizations to put the efforts repre-
scented by this conference into actual
being and for each to recognize the
economic value that rests in 1t for them
treating human life from q business
standpoint as factor In the economics
involved, because social economies are
an important factor In every comnu-
nifty.
Regional planning and coming must
be taken into consideration In reach
ing an effective and lasting solution.
The problem divides itself into factors
that involve immediate relief and fac
tors that involve permanent relief. It
must be studied and solved in both Of
these aspects.