Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26

txpedient ones, we find Washing
ton again about to be infested
with another series of limitations
on where Mr.. and Mrs. Public
may park their automobiles. What
with the entire city circumscribed
as to parking areas with unloading
signs, Sternly admoniShing poten-
tial parkers that at some indefinite
time some one Is to unload some
thing outside some ones door;
various taxi and bus stop loading
areas; areas marked out for
official cars only" around the
Government buildings, and areas
restricted as to parking for this
reason and that reason, we now
are to have still another class of
mo parking" areas.
The latest ciVcumScribed areas,
where the curbStoneS now are
breaking out in paint, embellished
by Stand-up signs, are to be for
members of Congress and Govern
ment officials of the various de-
partmentS and independent estab-
liShmentS, where they may park
their cars while engaged on bust
ness. Twelve buildings occupied
by Government units are to be
embellished with these official
parking" areas, and each official
is to be given two cards, bearing
the signature of the secretary to
the Board of Commissioners, one
of which is to be stuck in the
windshield of the car and the
other to be kept in possession Of
the chauffeur or driver.
Few Are Politicians.
With so many areas throughout
the city in which John w. Public
may not park his buzz buggy while
he goes into shop to buy peanuts
for the youngsters, If the present
orgy Of restricting parking for the
favored few continues, the unfa-
vored driver of an automobile may
as well give up his car and ride
the buses and street cars. If he is
a politician or has some way of
getting into the barred areas, he
is alright. but most of the drivers
of the $4,000 motor vehicles in
Washington have no such way.
Meanwhile the restriction of park
ing area goes merrily on. To be
sure those on official business
should have a parking area set
aside for them, but most public
buildings have court or alley in
which official cars may park with
out further restricting the public
parking area.
A few more thoughts on speed
ing up traffic in Washington by
increasing the speed limit come
to mind in conversation with
Traffic Director Van Duzer. Being
a polite gentleman not addicted
to irrational ideas, Mr.. Van DuZer
agrees that if some method could
be found for increasing the speed
limit and at the same time keep
the Saturation point of vehicular
traffic on the streets at its peak,
he would go along with it, But
he points out that a speed of be-
tween 20 and Is miles an hour by
all the cars on the streets permits
more cars in any given area in
the city, on the general theory
that when cars travel at those
speeds they remain closer together
and more cars can be put on the
streets at the same time. Mr..
Van DuZer points out that the
driver unconSciouSly remains
farther behind the car in front
when he is travelling at 80 or IS
miles an hour, urged by the safety
factor, which is his ability to stop
If the car ahead stops suddenly,
and therefore fewer cars can be
put on given stretch of street
at the higher speed
Possibilities Only Hinted.
Being the aforesaid polite gen.
tleman again, Mr.. Van Duzer only
hints at the possibility that the
careless pedestrian is much to
blame for some of the traffic
troubles in the National Capital.
Wide streets and lack of positive
control of pedestrians at light or
off1cer-controlled intersections, he
says, make it possible for a few
pedestrians to muddle up the
traffic stream. And did you know
that on the statute books of the
District Of Columbia today there
remains a pedestrian control
regulation? 1t is not enforced
however, at intersections con-
trolled by lights or officers because
a court decision two or three years
ago rendered it unavoidable.
From California, where traffic
ordinances are as forwards looking
as in any State, comes a new idea
for speed control. In this case it
is not high speed which needs
controlling, but slow speeds. Cali
fornia has just passed law which
will literally place the slow pokeS
"on the spot" The new regulation
forbidS driving at speed so slow
that the reasonable flow of traffic
is retarded, and traffic officers are
given full authority to enforce this
section of the law. This simply
means that they may arrest
drivers who move along so slowly
that they pile up long line of
cars behind them-cars whose
drivers want to get somewhere and
are not gazing at the scenery.
This is believed to be the first
time that State Legislature has
publicly acknowledged the fact
that fast driving-aS Such-is not
the major cause of accidents.
Accidents in motor travel-aS
traffic authorities know = are
caused more by circumstances
than by fairly high speed. But
California has not stopped there.
The Legislature has lifted the
speed limit in open country from
40 to As miles per hour, thus
MOTOD DON'TS