Evening star., 1936-01-19
TOUR TO LAUNCH
HOUSE COMMITTEE
TRAFFIC SURVEY
l Lawmakers to Make Trip
Tuesday to Study Con-
ditionS Here.
CARPENTER WILL LEAD
FACT.FINDING JAUNT
Declares Journey Must Be Made
Without "Flag-Waving:' to
Be Effective.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

A big automobile filled with men,
bers Of the House from widely scat
tered sections of the country will start
from the Capitol Tuesday at 10 am.
and in a drive around the streets OF
Washington for several hours the
members will seek to ascertain what
is really wrong with traffic conditions.
The fact-flnding tour will mark the
beginning Of comprehensive survey
by the augmented Subcommittee on
Streets and Traffic of the House Dis
trict Committee, which has been
charged with the important job OF
doing what experts have thus far
failed to do-fnding way to drive
death from the highways.
Representative Carpenter. Democrat,
of Kansas. will lead the delegation
into the battle for safety With him
will be Representatives Wood. Demo.
crat. of Missouri: Schultz. Democrat,
of Indiana: Fenerty. Republican. Of
Pennsylvania, and Short, Republican,
Of Missouri.
Wants No Flag Waving"
The battle lines have not yet been
tightly drawn. Carpenter does not
know exactly what he and his COLI
leagues will look for At present. he
is certain of one thing:
This will not be fiag-waving ex-
pedition," he declared I'VE don't
want any flags waving or any bands
playing when we go on this trip. If
We don't go incognito. so to speak, our
efforts will be futile
Later on. perhaps, We may call on
some traffic officers to lead u around
and show us a few things But right
nov l don't think We want police
escort. or anything like that"
Carpenter said he and his subcom-
mittee want to get down to the root
Of the traffic evil-the factors that
contribute to accidents and to deaths.
He doesn't believe the subcommittee
is interested at this time in why traffic
doesn't move more expeditiously
through the congested section. or how
many minutes driver loses because
the lights are not timed to suit his
convenience.
Recalls Death Toll.
"Just think" he declared, there
we're l13 deaths due to traffic in
Washington last year. and nine so far
this year. Something's wrong some-
where, and something must be done
to cut down the fatality list"
Each member Of Carpenters SUBJ
committee, however, has his own views
about certain defects in the regulation
Of Washington traffic and the enforce.
ment o. the rules laid down for safety.
Schultz believes a ma ajority of the
accidents occur in the outlying Sec
tions; and that the Police Department
should assign more traffic officers to
these areas
Reed is Of the opinion there are too
many conflicting signs posted on the
streets telling motorLst what to do
and what not to do. He also believes
too much parking space in the busi-
ness section is reserved for taxicabs,
merchants and Government officials.
Adds to Congestion.
"Such situation, from my observa-
tion," said Reed. forces a driver who
can't afford to pay 25 or 40 cents to
park on private parking lot to cruise
around until he can find a curbstone
space. That naturally adds to the con.
geStion."
Carpenter himself made some OBJ
servations before he was called on to
direct the traffic study.
There is tendency in Washington
to do what is called jump the lights"
he declared. Il mean by that a driver
will start across AN intersection while
red or amber light Is on. That is
dangerous.
And I've also found out that the
driver at the head of a line who
doesn't do that is ridiculed by the
drivers behind him. They blow their
horns and soon there is bedlam"
Expected to be Called.
Anyhow, the subcommittee hopes
to get some ideas on its first expedi-
ticn. as to the contributing causes
to Washington's large traffic fatality
list After that. it proposes to call
in some traffic experts and others
who have studied traffic conditions to
aid in solution of the problem.
Public hearings probably will be
held later in the week. at which the
subcommittee will endeavor to get
the views of District officials and the
public. Traffic Director William A.
Van Duzer will be among the first
called. Maj. Ernest w. Brown. super
intendent of police, who formerly
commanded the old traffic bureau.
and officers of various motorists as
sociations also are to be asked to
tell the committee what they think
-. la laxa IA IA xe the xfreefg Safer.