Evening star., 1936-02-26
BAN0N PARKING
AND PEDESTRIAN
CONTROL LOOM
Increase in Motor Cycle Pa
troll Also Expected as
Recommendation.
HOUSE subcommittee
SCANS TRAFFIC HERE
Serious Thought Given to Build.
ing of 0verpasses and
Underpasses.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.


force and regulation of pedestrians al
light controlled intersections are eX'
pected to be among recommendations
of the special traffic investigating
subcommittee of the House District
Committee.
Although the House subcommittee
Is In the midst of its inquiry, the
Senate District Committee is prepar-
ing to undertake similar inquiry,
but, according to Chairman King, it
will skip over ground already covered
and concentrate chiefly on the ade-
quacy of existing traffic regulations
and the effectiveness of their enforce
ment. The full Senate Committee will
meet Friday to select a subcommittee
. to conduct the investigation.
Parking Prohibition Favored.
According to present indications. /,
will be month or more before the
House subcommittee begins the prep
aration of its report, but develop.
ments thus far in its comprehensive
study of traffic conditions have shown
rather pronounced sentiment in
favor of plans for prohibiting park
ing, increasing the motor cycle patrol
force and the regulation of pedestrians
District officials. especially Police
Supt. Brown and Traffic Director Will
liam A. Van Duzer. have testified that
a ban on downtown parking ulti-
mately is inevitable if the movement
of traffic is to be expedited and the
streets made safer for both pedestrians
and motorists.
Serious thought also is being given
by the subcommittee to construction
of overpasses and underpasses as an
aid to traffic safety. Maj. Brown is
one of the strongest advocates of this
plan. He believes overpasses at
Thirteenth street and Florida avenue
and New York and Florida avenues
would completely eliminate the traffic
hazard at these two points.
Underpasses Suggested.
Van Duzer has suggested under
passes for pedestrians at various points
along Pennsylvania avenue to protect
the thousands of Government workers
who are forced to risk the perils of
traffic between Fifteenth and Seventh
streets to reach the buildings in the
triangle area. Maj. Brown has no
objection to underpasses if some way
can be found to keep them in sani-
tary condition and prevent thugs from
sandbagging a pedestrian at some late
hour.
Repeatedly the subcommittee has
questioned District officials about
q regulation to control pedestrians,
and all of them have agreed if the
walker cannot be taught to walk
safely he should be controlled like
the driver of car The Commission
ers. however. have not yet made any
move toward regulating the pedes-
trian.
The first step in that direction was
taken last Summer during The Stars
safety campaign when Van Duzer
formally recommended a pedestrian
control regulation. He cited statistics
showing that majority of traffic VIC
TINS were Observation-Disclosures and
careless persons who crossed an in
tersection against signals. or who
stepped from behind parked cars into
the path of a moving vehicle. He
urged that the jaywalker-the person
who crossed the street at some point
other than an intersection-be fined
81 upon conviction and that the Pc
destrian who violated traffic signals
be penalized with a fine of 81.
Referred to Prettyman.
The Commissioners referred the
recommendation to Corporation Coun-
sci e. Barrett Prettyman. In his
Office it has languished now for about
five months.
One development that made a deep
impression on the subcommittee was
the disclosure of Mai. Brown that he
has only 50 motor cycle officers to
, watch speeders on 750 miles of Wash
ington highways. It Is a foregone
conclusion that an increase in the
motor cycle partol force will be rec
ommended.
In fact, Representative Schultz,
Democrat, of Indiana, who is taking
an active part in the traffic study,
said Maj. Brown must be another
Houdini to keep speeders in check
with only So motor cycle officers, who
are split into three groups over a
24-hour period.
Schultz thinks more foot patrol
men should be assigned to motor cycle
duty. Maj. Brown said he would be
willing to do it If Congress will pro-
vide the necessary funds for equip
ment. and to pay each of the officers
so assigned $120 more each year as
required by law
Brown Long Seeking Increase.
Maj. Brown has been campaigning
for years for an increase In the
police personnel which, he said, has
not been strengthened for five years,
despite the growth in Washington's
population and q CORRESPONDING rise
in automobile registration. The budget
estimates now before the House SUBJ
committee on appropriations will al
low him only l3 more men, 10 of
whom would be added to the motor
cycle patrol force.
The traffic study win be resumed
by the subcommittee tomorrow at
1880 am. Maj. Brown will be re-
called to the witness stand to outline
other plans for improving trafiic en-
forcement. He will be followed by
Inspector Benjamin A. Lamb, in
charge Of traffic, and Capt. Milton D.
Sqlith, commander of the trafic di-
vision Of the department.