Evening star., 1935-10-06
Civic Problems, Civic Bodies
Active Season Nov Under Way-Suyey on
Subway Indorsed by Trade Board Directors
Congress to Get School Program.
BY JESSE C. SUTER.

- 10SOc0ISIN VA CltkC uldA5
showed a decided increase
during the past week as
49, number Of associations
and committees resumed their
meetings. With the meeting last
night of the Federation of Citizens
Associations these federated bodies
are practically modified for the
winters work. Occupying con-
spicuous place in all of these
meetings has been wholehearted
approval of The Evening Stars
Safety Council campaign to save
human life through the assuming
OF individual responsibility by all
drivers of motor vehicles for their
own safe driving.
Not only is Washington to be
safe city, but it is to be more quiet
and its parks are to be cleaner and
more attractive If proposals of the
past week are to be realized. Other
outstanding proposals include a
f1ve-year school building program
for introduction in Congress in
January and one that the Board
of Education have the privilege of
pairing down its own estimates for
the schools for next year to the
tune of S4,000000. The school Off
cials will prepare the building pro-
gram, and it is understood that
on motion of Commissioner HaZen
the cash-paring job has been given
to the board. A number of civic
workers are expressing the hope
that the Budget Bureau and the
Congressional Appropriation Com
mittees will invite the Board Of
Education to make any further
modification of the school items
which may be required.
At Last the Pedestrian Has Been
Discovered.
NECESSARY evil though he
may be, the pedestrian on the
streets and highways of the Dis
trict of Columbia has been discov-
cred. The Safety Council cam
paign of The Star, besides enroll
ing large numbers of drivers on the
personal pledge cards. has to an
astonishing degree stimulated the
study of every phase of street
safety problems. The pedestrian
has been discovered to be a real
factor in any solution of this puz-
zle of modern life.
In the ranks of our civic bodies
are a number of amateur students
of the street safety problems and
many Of these are impressed with
the idea that the movement of
vehicular traffic has always been
considered the important factor
in the District. 1t has been a
matter Of common comment that
the far too few policemen at street
intersections have had their eyes
more on the vehicles than on the
pedestrian. The traffic director
points to the need for more po-
licemen and in this he simply joins
the demand of police heads and
the citizens generally.
Pedestrians would of course be
helped if there was some special
light or interval between lights
when they might cross at an in
tersection free from the hazard
of the right and left turner's. 1t
would really be helpful even If
additional lights operating under
the present plan were SO placed
as to be visible to a pedestrian.
All are agreed that if those signing
The Stars Safety Council pledge
would remember when making
turns that they are also sometimes
pedestrians, it might help the
footman a whole lot.
George H. Brown, chairman Of
the Public Safety Committee of
the Columbia Heights Citizens
Association, has long been what
might be called pedestrian con-
scious." He proposes to continue
his efforts to make the streets
more safe for those on foot and
will urge that the Federation of
Citizens Associations actively take
I'm tho oapopoiop