Evening star., 1935-01-23
1900 HERE OPEN
ROADS SESSIONS
District Delegates Push
Safety in Huge Program
of Builders.

With the expediting of a great ma
tional highway program as recovery
measure, elimination of traffic hazards
in congested areas and construction of
an international road system to con-
meet the countries of the Americas as
major portions of their agenda near
ly 1000 delegates to the thirty-second
annual convention of the American
Road Builders Association today set
tied down to their first full day of
business at the Willard Hotel.
The convention resolved itself dur
ing the, morning into four separate
major sessions and three separate
meetings are being held this after
noon. At these sessions District OF
Columbia delegates, with the memory
of a 1884 traffic death toll OF 135 be-
hind them, insisted upon conSidera-
ton of traffic safety measures.
Demand for regulation of pedestrian
traffic as an imperative safety meas
ure was voiced today by M. o. Eldridge,
assistant director of traffic of the Dis
trict. He declared that statistics show
that a majority of persons killed or
injured in traffic accidents are Pc
destrians and that this holds true not
only in Washington, but generally in
all cities.
Pedestrian Practices Hit.
Mr.. Eldridge told the delegates that
| a recent pedestrian study in Washing
ton indicated that SO per cent OF
pedestrians cross or attempt to cross
streets against the red light.
These facts" he said, clearly indi-
cate that the real answer to this
| problem lies as much or more with
| the pedestrians as with the drivers.
| Until the pedestrian learns that it is
| extremely dangerous to walk out from
| behind parked cars and cross the street
( in the middle of the block or to cross
at a controlled intersection against the
signal, and until the parents OF small
children learn that they cannot per-
nit their offspring TO play in the
street, this annual slaughter is bound
| 70 continue"
Eldrdge said that he is convinced by
the study he has made that sooner
/ or later. a definite regulation Will nave
! to be adopted which will make II
| illegal for a pedestrian to cross the
street in the middle of the block or
to cross at controlled intersection
against the signal"
The traffic complex" was outlined
by j. Rowland Bibbins, local traffic
! consulting engineer, who analyZed
eight or more distinct types of city
traffic operations. He h1nted that
! there is a growing consciousness OF
the phrase in the public interest as
applied to traffic. which implies the
power of limitation" on private uses
of public highways. Rigid control
now applied to taxicab, bus and truck
traffic. he intimated, sooner or later
must extend to all urban traffic"
ModerniZation Need.
Can't. H. C. Whitehurst, president
of the association and head OF the
District Highway Department, in q
radio address last night, pointed out
that the increase in the death toll or
highways shows the need for thor
ough highway modernization pro-
gram, but pointed out that diversion
of gasoline tax revenues in many
of the States makes it impossible for
those States to adequately modernize
and widen their roads.
| Capt. WhitehurSt declared that al
no time has the country been more
in need of large highway program
in every State"
THE facts presented" he said. evil
show that in period OF depression
highways are more needed than ever
that they are needed not only for the
usual benefits that are derived from
low cost and adequate transportation
but are needed now more than evel
before to put men to work and relieve
the unemployment problem"
Frederic A Delano, chairman of tht
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, characterized safety a.
mot only the first but perhaps even
tually the most important problem o
road location and design" He saic
that while great progress has beer
made, 'the progress curve has no
kept up with the fatality curve"
City traffic, he said, cannot be mad
foolproof unless the conduct of thoS'
who drive cars and the conduct O
those who walk on the streets anC
cross the streets is under intelligent
not too complicated, but effective
regulation" He declared that car
dinal fault is the making of rule
which cannot be enforced.
Mr.. Delano ridiculed the idea tina
subways would solve the traffic prob
lem in Washington and declared tina
their cost would far exceed any pos
sible benefits to be derived from thei
construction. He declared emphati
cally that parking of cars on trafi'
arteries must be abolished.
Leaving a car parked on a lam
of main city thoroughfare," he said
should be just as inconceivable ant
impossible as it would for train con
ductor to leave car or a train OF
the main line of four-track railroad
If streets are to be used as thorough
fares they connot also be used a
parking places and garages. Further
more, it would be far cheaper to bu.
occasional property for parking space
THE terrible death toll which can