Evening star., 1932-04-10
Van Duzer Plan Expected to
Get Final Approval
Early in Week.
TRAFFIC COUNT GUIDES
RELOCATION PROPOSALS
1000 Vehicles an Hour Regarded
as Test of Need-Safety Fac
tors Also Considered.

A traffic light reorganization pro-
gram. providing for the relocation of
misplaced signals at locations where
the flow of traffic is heavy, was drafted
yesterday by Traffic Director William A.
Van Duzer. The plan will be submit
ted to the Commissioners early this
week for final approval
Forty lights, located at 10 intersec-
tions at various points in the District,
would be removed under the program.
Instead of scrapping these signals Mr..
Van Duzer proposes to erect them at
intersections where he believes auto
matte lights are needed to relieve con-
geStion.
intersections at which it Is proposed
to remove the lights were not revealed.
All of them, it is understood, are at
locations where recent traffic count
showed the number of vehicles pass
ing an hour was not sufficient to JUS
tify continued operation of the signals.
Regarded as Formality.
Mr.. Van Duzer's program was re-
Gently approved by the Traffic Ad-
visory Council, group appointed by
the Commissioners to consider and ad-
wise them on traffic matters. Formal
approval of the plan by the Commits
sioners now. is regarded as a mere
formality.
Relocation of traffic lights was one
of the principal recommendations made
by Mr.. Van Duzer when he was ap-
pointed to head the department of We
hicles and traffic. It was his belief that
a number of the signals had been
placed at Intersections where they serve
no useful purpose, but on the other
hand unnecessarily delayed traffic.
Preliminary to drawing up the light
removal program, Mr.. Van DuZer or
dered an extensive traffic count made
at all intersections controlled by sig
mails. His theory Is that lights, except
in unusual cases, should hot be placed
at intersections where the flow of traf-
fic into the intersection does not exceed
1000 vehicles an hour.
The lights which Mr.. Van Duzer viii
recommend for removal, therefore, are
at intersections where traffic survey
showed the flow or traffic is less than
1000 vehicles an hour The points
selected for the relocation of the sig
mails are at intersections where the
traffic now is greater than 1000 ve-
hicles an hour.
Other Factors Considered.
There are, however, several locations,
now having lights, where the flow is
which Mr. Van Duzer intends to con-
tinue the signals. Near one a public
school Is located. A car line crosses
the other. Continuation Of the signals
at these two points, he considers abso-
lutely essential to public safety.
Some of the signals slated for re-
moval are said to be at isolated inter
sections, but others are understood to be
in network Of lights. Most of them
will be relocated at intersections in the
business section.
Another important change in the
traffic situation will be undertaken to-
morrow when electricians of the Po-
tomac Electric Power Co. begin the in
stallation of secondary timers in lights
at los intersections. These timers will
enable traffic officials to convert the
lights into the flexible progressive sys-
tenn Of operation-a system now used on
the network of signals along Rhode
Island avenue from North Capitol to
Twelfth street.
Orders authorizing the change were
issued last week by the Commissioners.