Evening star., 1935-10-13
Pedestrian Safety Problem
Deserves Immediate Solution,
Individual Utility Complaints
Overwhelm Peoples Counsel.

OF vital and widespread interest
to the citizens. organized and
unorganized, there Is no immediate
solution offered for the problem of
pedestrian safety on our streets.
The Star Safety Council campaign
continues to stimulate considera-
ton and discussion of the various
phases of the traffic problem, in
Guiding what is to be done with or
for the pedestrian. The director of
vehicles and traffic, William A. Van
Duzer, continues to offer as a solu-
ton, underground footways at points
OF heavy traffic to afford the
pedestrian safe passage. 1t has
been suggested that these might be
equipped with escalators to relieve
the pedestrian of the necessity of
climbing stairs.
Some citizens who are especially
interested in making our streets
safe for the pedestrian concede
that the underpass idea may be
the ultimate solution. They, can
not see, however, the early accom-
plishment of any such safety pro-
gram by this means which would
afford the general relief needed.
1t Is said that to adopt a subway
plan it would be necessary to sell
the idea to the Commissioners,
then the Bureau of the Budget,
then the Iouse Appropriation Sub
committee, then the House and
then get it through the Senate.
To have these underground foot
ways constructed would, even after
approval of the idea. entail a long
delay ir giving any appreciable
relief.
No one familiar with District
legislation and appropriations can
believe that more than one or two
of these underpaSses would be
authorized in any one year. and
it might be that the speed would
be even slower than that. In the
meantime, conceding that the un-
derpass is the ultimate solution,
what about the pedestrian safety?
There Is a very general interest
In the matter of doing something
for the pedestrian now. Some
thing must be done for him or
about MIN anyway for he persists
in getting mixed up with vehicular
traffic to his injury and even his
finish. The underpass is by no
means a cure all.
Two suggestions have been offered
for immediate relief or reduction
of the pedestrian hazard. The first
that a pedestrian light be provided
as a signal for his safe passage
over a street intersection. The
second is to place the response
bility sQuarely on the pedestrian
and imposing on him stringent
regulations with suitable penalty.
AS to the first suggestion, Van
Duzer says that a pedestrian light
Is not practicable with our pro-
gressive system of traffic light con-
troll. AS far as known he has not
expressed an opinion as to prac-
ticability of such pedestrian lights
or interval under the block sys-
TEN as operated in New. York and
other large cities.
AS to pedestrian control and
penalties, there seems to be no spe-
cial organization interest but con-
siderable opposition, even among
those occasional pedestrians who
drive most of the time and to
whom walking has become almost
q lost art. A number of the civic
minded have expressed the opin-
ion very emphatically that our
traffic officials need to become
more pedestrian conscious. Just
now, they say. the big idea seems
to pe that the flow Of vehicular
traffic must go on without inter-
ruption. This attitude, 1t Is said,
increases the tendency and the
encouragement to speed. A citizen
was heard to remark the other
day, as several cars rushed around
q corner where he was trying to
cross-"I wonder where all those
fellows are going who are in such
. big hurry"
There Is an immediate and
urgent need to save the pedestrian
before the species becomes extinct.
Georgetown Branch Library
Clears Way for Other Branches.
THE dedication, the other eve
ming, Of the beautiful new
. Georgetown branch library has