Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-21
Commissioners and Utilities
Group Work Out Procedure
for Joint Board.
SENATORS WILL STUDY
AMENDMENT FRIDAY
Bill Would Distinguish Between
Reckless Driving and Speeding.
Other Changes Involved.

The prospect for passage Of the new
District trafnc bill at this session of
congress became brighter today with
the announcement that the District
commissioners and the Public Utilities
commission have come to an agreement
on provision Tor Joint board to pass
on matters affecting both commissions. 4,
corporation Counsel Bride, who has
peen conterrtng with members of the
Utilities Commission on this hitherto,
disputed feature Of the bill, had the
amendment as finally worked out ready
ior the Senate District Committee yes-
teroay afternoon. 1t was decided. how
ever, TO wait until the next meeting
OF the committee, on Friday, before SEEK
ing action, so that Senator Kean, Re-
Puoncan, OF New Jersey, chairman Of the
ATsmc subcommittee, could be present;
New Amendment Quoted. a-
The new amendment on which the
aeLeement was reached reads rs follows:
mat whenever any order, rule or
reguiation OF the Public Utilities Conn
mission shall be made relative to the
routing Of common carrier vehicles "a
the location Of their stops, to the estab-
nsnment or change in location OF plat
forms, loading zones, or other spaces on
Cne pubic highway to be reserved for
any purpose whatsoever, or to the au-
propriate marking thereof. or whenever
any order, rule, or regulation Of the
DiStrlct Commissioners shall be made
which Affects such routing, stops, plat
LOr1ns, zones, or spaces, said order, rule,
OF regulation shall, prior to proInuIQa-
ton, be referred to joint board TO be
composed OF the Commissioners of the
District Of Columbia and the member
Oh the Public Utilities Commission.
Wmcn Is hereby authorized and Gre
aIeo. such joint board may, BY thu
amrmatlVe action Of any three mem.
ners thereof, adopt rules and regulations
Msnlcn, Wnen promulgated, shall be bind
~ 1s ano SnaH nave the full force and
enect OF law, and the Engineer Commits
Aonsr shall be the chairman Of slSch
JOINT board, and shall have but one vote
any OF said rules and regulations here
a1ter promulgated, after reasonable trial
ana within q reasonable time, NAV he
changed Dy the Joint board upon the
request Of the Commissioners of thu
glSIIlcG OF Columbia or of the Public
Utilities Commission AO
Provides New Procedure.
The bill formerly provided fcr n
IOlnt BOARD on questions of this kind :
put with 3 somewhat different mo-
Ceoure 1of getting, the matter into the
nandS OF the joint board.
a. Inc ola section stated that Whenever
tne Gtlntles commission made an order
[eIatlng 70 routing, stops, loading Dlat-
forms or similar subjects ''a sai6
oroer, rule or regulation shall, prior
70 PRONUNCIATION, be served on Tire Cera-
mlSSioners OF the District Of Columbia
ana II the same be not Approved nv
the said Commissioners within 10 davS
sucn order, rule or regulation shall be
L E forthwith to q joint board to
e composed OF the Commissioners Of
the District of Columbia and the mem.
bers Of the Public Utilities Commits
sion, which Is hereby authorized and
created"
The new amendment provides. In
substance, that whenever either COM
mission makes an order on questions
OF this kind, it will 60 to the Joint
board before being promulgated.
Other Important Changes.
Aside from this plan for joint con-
troll OF matters which affect both mtl-
n1cipal traff1c control and public utility
regulation, the pending bill makes other
important changes in the trafiic laws,
including the following:
Vests trafdc authority in the District
Commissioners, to be exercised through
q newly created Department Of Vehi-
clee. In this department there would
be centralized the issuance and revoca-
ton Of permits, the registration and
titling of automobiles, the making Of
traflc studies and placing Of signals.
It rewriteS the reckless driving section
Of. existing law, in order to distinguish
more clearly between speeding and
reckless driving. 1t makes other
changes in various sections of the pres
ent law, in line with q thorough study
of local trafic problems conducted by
local committees and traf1c experts
last Summer.