Evening star., 1935-11-02
CITIZENS DEBATE
!. ON WRECK SCENE
Eeighbors Rally Regularly
- at Danger Corner to
View Damages.

Neighborhood meetings, summoned
by the crashing of automobiles at
Thirty fourth and Garfield streets.
are described in a letter received by
The Star Safety Council from Alex
ander H. Bell.
1T may be of interest to you to
know" Mr.. Bell said, that the resi-
dents in the neighborhood of Thirty
fourth and Garfield streets held their
regular daily meeting October 2s at
11:o5 pm. for the purpose OF viewing
the damage done to two automobiles
that had come together at that inter-
section.
AFTER a careful inspection, the
gathering freely and fully discussed
the often propounded questions:
Il. Would loss of life, injury to limb
and damage to property be minimlzed
by the installation of traffic lights, or
3. Would the same result be at
tanned if the Stop signs were shifted
from Garfield street to Thirty-fourth
street?
The majority sentiment favored
the first proposition, although at the
same time it was recognized that
the authorities would probably do
nothing to relieve the dangerous Sit
uation.
.T-hereupon the meeting was ad-
tourned to October 80, when the next
too familiar crash will be heard
Other Views on Safety.
Tho letter from Mr.. Bell, with its
sad tale of daily post mortems on
deceased automobiles, is one OF nun
dreds received by The Star SAFETY
Council dealing with the local trahc
problem. Excerpts from some OF
these other letters follow:
when the green light turns for US
to cross the street, messenger boys
and other bicyclists dart out from the
mass of waiting automobiles, rlght
INTO our path and do not regard the
red light, which is meant for tnem
as well as for the motorists. People
can be injured very severely oy
bicycles as we'll as by automobiles.
Motorists disregard the line flxeo
for pedestrian crossing and edge up
over it, sometimes car length.
Motorists also park their cars far
over the pedestrian line for crossing,
and leave their cars standing there Tor
hours. causing the pedestriansto incur
another hazard in having to walk
around into the line of traffic.
Motorists crash the lights in anti
cipation of the change of light, aid
do not give the pedestrian the full
time allotted.
The sidewalks in many sections are
being taken over for the use of ga
RACES, and the pedestrian has no
right of-way if motorist desires 10
suse the sidewalk.
This morning-Saturday- counted
five large automobiles parked on the
sidewalk on L street near the corner
of Sixteenth street, not just standing
momentarily in the driveway across
the sidewalk, but parked just as If
in a garage, up and down on the side
walk)
Who owns the sidewalks in WASH
ington, D. c., anyway-and do the
garage owners pay for the use of the
sidewalks for parking purposes?)
The sidewalks are being ruined
where used by garage owners, and are
frequently dirty and neglected beyond
description.
Come to our aid
MRS. MARY MONTAGUE"
Being extremely interested. as We
all are, in the effort of The Star to
render our streets safer, I have been
waiting for thirteenth promise to the
pledge: The proper physical condition
to drive an auto. I once had heard,
by an expert, the effect of the smallest
amount of alcohol in slowing up men,
tai reactions. If this is true, why is
1t not taken into account in the
safety pledge?
ALICE I. TYLER"
1T is quite evident that the entire
populace is interested in the most
effective way in which the automo-
bilists and pedestrians are reacting to
your safety drive, and with the result
also that each of us is safety con-
scious.
1t occurs to me that it would be
of interest to the sponsors of such
noble effort to learn of any violations
by one who has signed the safety
drive pledge, in order that the vio-
lator's attention may be directed to
his hazardous driving With this in
mind, I respectfully request permis-
sion to cite an occurrence of last
Sunday.
Il was one of party who Joined
the throng of many thousand auto
mobiles set out to enjoy the splendors
OF nature as seen on the Skyline Drive.
There was a continuous stream of
autos going both directions and as we
were rounding the curve of the hair
pin bend approaching Panorama View
a sedan, on the windows of which |
were stickers Of the safety driving
pledge, darted without warning from
behind our car, recklessly passing |