Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-29
ADOPTS LEFT TURN
ON GREEN LIGHT
Highway Conference Accepts
Uniform Code at Final
Meeting.

The left turn on the green light, a
traffic practice followed by every large
city in the country excepting Washing
ton and Cleveland, was formally ap-
proved by the National Conference on
Street and Highway Safety at its clos
ing meeting today.
The left turn is sanctioned in uni
form traffic code, defining speed limits,
pedestrian control, and all phases of au-
tomobile movement, which was adopted
following a report from the legislative
committee, of which w. H. Harland,
director Of traffic In Washington, is q
member.
Although approving the left turn on
the green light, the conference discount
tenanced the right turn on the red light.
even If the vehicle stops before turn
ing" the report said, "the turn on the
red light adds unfairly to the pedes-
TRANS burden. Where there is any con-
siderable demand on the part Of mo-
florists to be permitted to make right
turns on the red light, it may mean that
signals have been installed at places
where they are not needed, or being
operated at times when they are not
needed, or that the cycle is unneces-
sarily long"
Uniform Code Adopted.
Concluding a three-day meeting, the
conference adopted a uniform vehicle
code consisting of model registration
act, a model anti-theft act, model
vehicle operators and, chauffeur's act,
uniform act regulating trafac on
highways; q model municipal traffic
ordinance for enactment by munici-
palities, and a standard system of
street trafic signs, signals and markings.
These codes are not binding, but are
submitted TO States and municipalities
as being the last word in traff1c con-
troll as approved by leading traffic ex-
pertS. About % States have adopted
parts or all Of the code, and this con-
ference declares that uniformity Of
traf1c laws is urgently necessary"
For the most part, the code Is the
same as adopted by the last conference
with several changes based on improved
PAdCLACCS1 0CfCAOPCu III I1lC 1dSb year.
Mr.. Harland, who yesterday said he
was prepared to recommend that the
rotary left-turn practiced in Washing
ton be eliminated in the interests of
uniformity, said this morning he was
virtually "bombarded' with telephone
calls last night, following publication
Of his statement in The Star.
Finds Wide Interest.
ftrvSf. Al Il
tense" he said, land I was surprised
Some wanted the practice left as 1t
Is and others wanted the change"
The conference formally frowned on
the passage of pedestrians between in
terSectionS, asserting that large num-
Der of traffic accidents result from the
practice.
Speed limits approved by the confer
ence today are: Twenty miles an hour
in business district; IS miles an hour
in a residential district and in public
parks within cities, and IS miles an
hour outside of business and resident
districts. A is miles an hour limit was
placed on vehicles passing school build
ings or grounds during recess or while
children are leaving school.
A continuing committee of the con-
ference took under Amusement recon-
mendation that the speed limit for
night driving be arbitrarily set at 35
miles an hour on clear nights and 80
miles an hour on cloudy nights.
The conference also decided that As
miles per hour is the maximum speed
which may be authorized under the i'm
proved code.
Among other matters approved was
the recommendation that States and
spend more money in
endeavoring to solve the traf1c conges-
ton problem, estimated to cost the Ma
ton $4,000, 100000 a year in excess of
damage in accidents.
Judge L. M. Hall of Minneapolis, dis
cussed tEatlic law enforcement and
urged the conference to keep politics
out Of the regulation of traffic"
The suggestion that the Government
will take over eventually the national
control Of traff1c under a separate di-
vision of the Commerce Department
with unlimited authority to enforce its
regulations was advanced by j. M. Kelly
Of Jersey City, N. j.