Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-10-12
PEDESTRIANS ASK
. LONGER WARNING
Amber Light Rules Dis
cusSed in Letters to Star
Safety Council.

Protection of the pedestrian by in
creasing the length of the amber
warning light to serve as pedestrian
crossing signal is advocated in a
number of letters received by The
Star Safety Council. Excerpts from
some of these letters follow:
The common sense rules you have
set forth should be enforced for
those who do not use good judgment
on the streets and highways, but. for
the love of Mike, how is person
to cross the street walking when
the lights change from red to green
without showing the yellow light?
Il have been in Washington for
about 10 days and the fact that I
haven't been hit long before this
still remains mystery to me. I am
no jaywalker, but have found myself
in the center of a car track or street
when the light would change to green,
not giving me time to reach the curb.
why is it some lights show the
yellow warning, enabling a pedestrian
to scamper the rest of the way
across, while other signals don't,
thereby leaving one stranded. afraid
to move? I am not the runner
used to be and, while I think your
city beautiful. I don't find much
pleasure trying to get places at the
corners.
II am still a young woman and
fast walker, but these marathonS
across the intersections and small
crossings are starting to age me fast.
OF course, I am only one individual,
but have heard out-of-towners num-
Bile nasty words about the lighting
system. So, how about the yellow
lights where the signals are supposed
to be? I'm sure it would help a lot
and give us pedestrians good break.
Il surely envy the flies at every
crossing.
MRS. JAMES M. TIMLAS,
"ll17 K street."
IT have been interested in your
safety campaign, and cannot refrain
from adding my own opinion about
what might help regulate traffic, both
automobile and pedestrian, in Wash
ington.
1T seems to me that the root Of the
matter is in the fact that the yellow
light isn't on long enough between the
red and green. This quick change OF
lights catches pedestrians in the mid
die of the street, forces cars to stop
beyond the pedestrian lines, tempts
drivers to speed across just before the
change. etc.
Il note there has been lot of talk
about regulating pedestrian traffic.
AS a pedestrian most of the time, and
one who religiously obeys traffic sig
mails when there are any, I find that
too quick a change in the traffic sig
mails is the basis for most of my
troubles. Actually, I could cross the
street better in the middle of the
block than I can at regular crossings,
and I find that when there is no reg
ulation of automobile traffic at cor
ner I can cross more easily. This is
caused by the fact that there is no
consideration given for the pedestrian
in this city to help him get across the
street. l have stood. when had the
signal. waiting for the cars to make
the right-hand turn before could
get into the street. BY the time they
have finished, the light is changed.
On these occasions, when there is a
policeman, he pays no attention to me
or to the other pedestrians trying to
get across, but Immediately signals the
cars to start in the other direction. 1t
is apparent that the traffic policemen
in Washington have no instructions
whatever to aid pedestrians. I have
lived here for two years, crossed at
many bad places (often wondering
how the rheumatic, the short-Sighted,
etc, people manage to stay alive, and
have yet to be assisted in the slight
est way by policeman. This is not
the case in any other city in which
have lived.
However, in spite of all other diff
eulties, if the yellow light stayed on
longer the pedestrian would have time
to get across after the right and left
hand turns were completed, there
would be less temptation for motorists
to make final rush, less confusion in
general.
MRS. MAYA NAFZIGER."
vs. 1929 Bancroft place"
"A friend OF mine contends she Is
safer jay-walking than crossing at cor
foprS u-bnro fro F6c ic t,ry,iou ,-;ol,t rI