Evening star., 1936-08-13
JAYWALKER FINES
PLANNED TO CURB
FATALITIES HERE
Policeman Must Be 0beyed
if Van Duzer Proposal
Is Approved.
MAXIMUM PENALTY
OF $500 POSSIBILITY
Officers Need Power to Force
Pedestrians to Comply With
Rules, Says Traffic Head.

Jaywalkers will face arrest and o
fine for crossing streets between in
tersections or against the 'go" signal
if they do SO in defiance of instruc-
tions of police officer, under a pro-
posed new regulation which is slated
for adoption by the Commissioners
tomorrow.
This plan, Offered by Traffic Direc-
tor William A. Van Duzer, is modi-
fication of broader pedestrian con-
troll rule proposed last May, which
was set aside then by the Commis-
Sioners.
Commissioner HaZen announces he
will sponsor adoption of the modified
ban on jaywalking. Action tomorrow
will be taken by HaZen and Capt.
Patrick H. Tansey, assistant engineer
commissioner, who will sit at the
board meeting in the absence of En-
gineer Dan I. Sultan. who is on leave.
Commissioner George E. Allen, the
other Commissioner, is on vacation.
$500 Maximum Fine.
The proposal would not apply to
persons who jaywalk unless they are
disobeying the instructions of police
officers. The new rule reads: NO
pedestrian shall disobey the instruc-
tions of police officer" Unless the
Commissioners provide specific
penalty for the rule it would carry
the maximum fine of $500.
Van Duzer, long a champion of
pedestrian control. has contended the
new walk lights" installed several
months ago on F street. at Twelfth
and Thirteenth streets, could not be
effective unless police were given
power to force public compliance.
He has emphasized that police
cannot arrest jaywalkers even if they
deliberately disobey orders Of police
men.
Chairman King of the Senate Dis
trict Committee last March urged
Van Duzer to take steps to restrain
pedestrians from crossing streets in
front of moving vehicles which have
the right of way" The Senator said
he had received complaints that
pedestrians show an utter disregard
of the red and green lights and
jeopardize their own lives and invite
collisions"
Control Rule Proposed.
Thereafter Van Duzer proposed a
pedestrian-control regulation making
it illegal for pedestrians to cross
streets between intersections or against
the "go" signals. in the congested
zone. 1t was laid on the shelf.
Several days ago Hazen wrote Van
Duzer, disposing of the old plan: "The
Commissioners do not feel disposed to
approve your recommendation as pre-
pared 1t is their belief the prohibi-
ton of pedestrians crossing the street
other than at corners is impossible of
enforcement with our present police
personnel.
However. they do believe a police
officer should have authority to ar
rest them when directing traffic or
giving instructions to pedestrians who
do not obey the instruction. and sug-
gest you draw regulation giving po-
lice authority to make arrests in such
cases"
Van Duzer points to traffic death
and injury records to support the
need of the plan. He wrote Senator
King that last year, out of 113 per-
sons killed in traffic here, rs we're
pedestrians; that in 81 of these acci-
dents it was shown that the pedes-
trian was at fault and in IS cases the
fault lay with the driver.
Many Rules Violated.
He found that in the cases in which
the pedestrian was at fault 80 were
not crossing on a crosswalk, were
crossing the street between intersec-
tions, 8 stepped from behind parked
cars, we're crossing at trafic-con-
trolled intersections against the sig.
nal. 2 were killed while playing in the
street, were intoxicated and l was
coasting in the street.
Our principal traffic problem in
Washington is the pedestrian, and I
feel that until such time some pedes-
trian-control regulation is adopted
and enforced we shall not make any
particular advance in reduction Of
pedestrian fatalities" Van Duzer
wrote.