Evening star., 1936-12-09
AROUSED CITIZENS
DEMANDING ROAD
Mass Meeting Called to
Campaign for Widening of
Georgetown Road.
~ Q star correspondent o. The Star.

~ q Star CORRESPONDENT o. The Star.
ALTA VISTA, Md, December g.
Aroused citizens from the commune
ties along Old Georgetown road will
meet en- masse within the next few
days to lay plans for a vigorous cam
paign In behalf of widening and re-
surfacing the narrow, hazardous
highway.
Hundreds of residents from Alta
Vista, Bethesda, Battery Park, Wood
mont, Northwest Park, Huntington
Terrace, Sonoma and Oak Place are
to attend and voice their demands
for immediate improvement of the
highly dangerous thoroughfare.
Meanwhile scores of petitions de-
ploring the condition of the road
and appealing to State officials to
act at once to correct them made
their appearance in those areas and
are being signed by citizens who have
become incensed over the deaths OF
two motorists on Sunday.
Branded Paved Cow Trail"
Arrangements for the mass meeting
we're begun today following a special
session Of the Old Georgetown Road
Citizens Association last night, at
which the road was branded a paved
COW trail" and held to be too narrow
to accommodate the traffic it bears.
The association, which has been
inactive for more than year. but
which famed anew and clamored for
official action following the tragic
auto-bus crash last week end, d.
rected President Lendall A. Conner
to appoint a committee to handle
plans for the meeting.
Conner named Ford Young, sr;
Robert o. Beckham, John Dickinson.
Walter Young, Kenneth Petrie, G.
Wady Irnirie, E. Gordon Pearce and
himself to serve, and a conference was
called at 8 o'clock tonight at Ford
Young's home to begin work.
Called Too Narrow.
John A. Dickinson, one of the found
ers of the Alta Vista Community
League, out of which the Old George
town Road Citizens Association grew
two years ago, declared the thorough
fare Is too narrow to accommodate
buses and other vehicular traffic at
the same time and asserted some
thing must be done about it at once"
He moved mass meeting be called,
and his motion passed unanimously
without discussion after being amend
ed to intrust the arrangements for
the session to a committee named
by the president.
Samuel E. Stonebraker of the
Bethesda Chamber Of Commerce. au-
thor Of the original resolution appeal
ing for improvement of the road, ap-
peared at the session and pledged the
cooperation Of ais organization in
any steps taken by the local aSso-
citation in behalf of the road widen
ing and resurfacing.
Ever-Present Danger.
He said the need for such improve
nnents and the ever-present danger
Of fatalities such as those which oc-
Cured on Sunday was impressed upon
State and county officials when the
Chamber Of Commerce adopted his
resolution last January.
They replied merely that no funds
were available and there the matter
has rested" he stated.
Stonebraker explained the chamber
also adopted another resolution call
ing for the construction of a new
road over the right of way Of the
old Capital Transit Co. electric rail-
way from Alta Vista to Halpine, which
would further relieve Old GEORGETOWN
road of congestion.
That, too, will be taken up in
time and we'll push that through to
Q successful conclusion" he predicted.
Stirred by Tragedy.
The meeting last night was held at
the home of Ford Young, sr., where
preliminary discussions for organi-
cation of the Bethesda fire department
and many other successful civic move
rents began.
President Conner opened the meet
ing by explaining interest in the
association has been allowed to lapse
during the past year, but added that
citizens Of the community, stirred by
Sundays deaths, had called him and
demanded 1t be revitalized imme-
diately to press for improvements to
the highway.
Filled With Bumps"
He said the road Is approximately
IA feet in width and filled with
"mubps" and dangerous curves, and
residents of Alta Vista and the other
communities have long deplored such
hazardous conditions.
The association adopted resolution
requesting the State Roads Commits
sion to remove a dangerous culvert
at Maple avenue and Old Georgetown
road, and another directing a COM
mtttee be named to investigate the
possibility Of constructing q macadam
or cinder walkway along the thor
oughfare from Battery Park to Alta
VMta as a protection for pedestrians.
It was also decided to confer with
the Montgomery County Commission
ert and ask that action be taken to
require that lights be displayed on
bicycles at night. 1t was pointed out
lack OF such a law, or the lack of en-
fofcement, If such a law exists, has
resulted in many near-accidents.
Walter Young was elected vice
president of the association to fill a
vacancy on the official staff caused
By. resignation.