Evening star., 1936-05-17
PEDESTRIAN LAWS
URGED TO REDUCE
AUTO FATALITIES
"Staggered'' Hours for
Schools and Employees Pro.
posed by House Body.
COMMITTEE TO GET
REPORT WEDNESDAY
No Change in Present Speed Regu.
lations Believed Likely
at Present.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

Dx JAMES Il. ChlNNs
Strict regulation of pedestrians in
congested areas and widespread stag
gering" of hours for opening and
closing Government departments,
public schools and private business
establishments will be among the
salient recommendations of special
subcommittee of the House District
Committee, which recently completed
comprehensive study of Washing
tons traffic ills.
The subcommittee now is complete
ing report on the results of its
studies for submission to the full
Ditrict Committee Wednesday.
AS a means of controlling pedes-
trians the report will propose an
amendment to the traffic act which
would make it misdemeanor for q
walker to disregard traffic lights or
the signals of traffic officers or cross
a street between intersections. Statis-
tics furnished the subcommittee
show careless walkers constituted the
largest number of Washington's traf-
fc fatality victims last year.
Special pedestrian lights were in
stalled during the last week at Twelfth
and F streets as means OF better pro-
lection for pedestrians at the con-
gested intersections.
Traffic Director William A. Van
Duzer has urged the Commissioners to
adopt ban on jay-walking, which he
held necessary to get the greatest ben-
eft from the pedestrian lights, but the
proposal was set aside.
Hail Pedestrian Lights.
officials are pleased with the results
/ obtained from the pedestrian lights,
/ but the system is to be given try-out
of another week before the Commits
sioners consider installation of similar
lights elsewhere.
Particular attention was paid by
the House Subcommittee to proposals
for extending the staggered" plan
now in effect in some Government de-
partments throughout the entire Gov
eminent service as well as to schools
and to private establishments. In the
interests of safety some members Of
| the subcommittee do not believe that
children should be sent to school
during the period of peak" traffic
| flow.
| The report will contain a number
of other recommendations, all predi-
Gated on plans designed to drive death
| from the streets. In this connection
| it will oppose any change in existing
speed regulations and urge a substan-
tial increase in the traffic enforcement
| force as we'll as compulsory mechan-
! ical inspection annually of all motor
| vehicles.
Studies Subway Plans.
| Although the subcommittee studied
carefully various proposals for con-
structing both pedestrian and vehicu-
| lar subways in the congested sections,
it will not recommend such projects
at this time. Several members are
understood to have been impressed
with the benefits resulting from the
| construction of subways but they feel
these projects would be too costly to
saddle on the District taxpayers in
the immediate future.
1t is understood. however, the re-
port will suggest that if the popula-
ton of the District continues to in
crease or shows no signs of decreasing
at the end of three years, a program
of subway construction should be
undertaken.
| One of the plans studied contem-
plated a series of pedestrian subways
under Pennsylvania avenue between
Seventh and Fifteenth streets for the
protection of the thousands Of Gov
ernment employees who work in the
so-called Federal triangle area. An
other proposed an overpass along K
street between Twenty-sixth and
Thirty-sixth streets with ramp con-
nections to Key Bridge. Such an over
pass, the subcommittee was told,
would relieve M street through
Georgetown, which has become one
of the most congested thoroughfares
in Washington.
Plans for improving traffic condi-
tions around some of Washington's
circles, particularly in Scott, Thomas
and Dupont Circles, also are expected
| to be recommended by the subcom-
mittee. Traffic and highway officials
suggested several schemes, one Of
which calls for widening of the areas
around the circles through reduction