Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-08
Officials to Study Changes
Due July | When Depart
ment Is Created.
TITLING OF MOTOR CARS
FAR PREACHING REFORM
Fifteen Additional Employees to Be
Selected-0ld Left Turn to
Be Restored.

The Co-ordinating Committee recon-
mended by the Trafic Advisory Council
will soon be put to work by the District
Commissioners to draft a set of traffic
regulations to be promulgated by the
District Commissioners after the new
trafic law goes into effect next July /.
AS recommended by the council, the
committee would consist of representa-
tives from the Department of Vehicles
and Trafdc, the Highway Department,
the Police Department, the Public
Utilities Commission, the corporation
counsels ONCE and the Office of the
director Of Public Buildings and Public
Parks. As yet, there is no department
of vehicles and traffic, but repre-
sentative Of the present traffic organi-
cation is expected to sit in with the
committee drafting the new regulations.
Drafting Of regulations for titling Of
motor vehicles under the terms OF the
new law, selection of additional per-
sonnet for the new department of
vehicles and traffic, and designation of
the special parking spaces for official
use adjacent to Federal buildings de-
manded by the new act are other
activities that will get underway soon
In preparation for the Districts new
deal In traf1c matters.
VIII Add to Force.
Fifteen additional employees are to
be selected for the new department.
These include the executive engineer, to
have charge OF the new department;
seven checkers, who will work in the
field, making traffic counts and report
ing on traffic conditions generally, and
additional help in the way of office
engineers, clerks, stenographers and
typtsts All Of thsse, with the possible
exception OF the executive. engineer,
VIII be chosen from lists of eligibles
furnished by the Civil Service Com
mission.
The new regulations to be drawn I'D
VIII be, under section 6, paragraph A
OF tee new act, which authorizes the
Commissioners to make, modify, re-
peal and enforce usual and reason
able regulations concerning the control
OF trafhc, the registration of motor We
hicleS, and the issuance and revocation.
and to exercise any power or perform
any duty imposed on the director Of
traffic, which Office is hereby abolished"
The present situation is that the traf1ic
director has power to initiate traffic
the Commissioners are powerless to put
any regulation into effect.
One OF the regulations considered as
certain to BE- adopted is a return to
the old system of making left turns,
instead OF the present rotary turn.
This Is one of the regulations in the
model municipal ordinances recon-
nended by the Traffic Advisory Coun-
ell. 1t Is not expected that there will
be any other radical changes, at least
at first.
Three Agencies Cited.
The set-up of the new trafic or
ganization as recommended by DR..
Miller McClintock, Harvard University
traffic specialist. puts three agencies
under the District Commissioners.
There is the Traffic Advisory Council,
consisting of the executive engineer of
the department. of vehicles and traffic,
and IL representative citizens. Then
Genes the department itself, under the
executive engineer, and then the CO.
ordInat1ng committee referred to above.
Under the executive engineer there
are four main divisions engineering
studies and plans; operators licenses:
registration, title and financial respon-
sibility, and installation and mainte-
nance Of signs and signals. One of these
IuncClonS, LnaC OF financial RESPONSE
bility, will not be exercised at this
time, since Congress did not pass legis-
lation affecting the financial RESPONSE
bility of automobile drivers. There was
pending before it the so-called safety
responsibility bill, but this failed Of
enactment.
The most far-reaching of the new
departures will be the organization hav-
ing to do with the registration of titles
OF motor vehicles Commissioner Her.
bert B. Crosby. who has executive con-
troll over the Districts traffic matters,
said that the District had the reputa-
ton of being mecca of stolen automo-
bi1es, owing to the absence of any such
law being passed. OF the 10000 au-
tomobiles registered in the city. there
are many which have Identification
numbers fled of, Commissioner Cros-
by said, and are otherwise of doubt
full ownership. Owners of adj cars
must satisfy the new department of
clear title before the certificate Of title
will be issued
May Check Up Cars.
1t has been suggested that before
the certificates are issued some check
OF the mechanical condition of the car
be made and that no car be registered
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