Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-06-03
Zoning OF State
Road System Is
Big Undertaking
Various Speed Limits Set
by New Law Will be Tried
on Sample Road Stretch.

Some 100 or 15O-mile section of
Minnesota's IL ,500-mile Trunk High
way system is to be selected as the
"guinea pig" on which the states
new Uniform Traffic Act speed zones
will be tried out before they are
applied to the general public.
Under the new state law, setting
20, 80, As and 60 miles per hour as
lawful zoned rates of daylight speeds,
the establishment of traffic zones and
posting of zoning signs is made a
responsibility of the State Highway
department.
The new act. with its major pur-
pose the checking of the terrific traf-
fic toll in human lives and injuries,
cannot be successful unless the speed
zones are established on a practical
common sense basis, N. w. ElSberg,
state commissioner of highways, as
serted.
The coming of nearly 1850 miles
of road, of many different types, on
widely varying terrain, and under
every extreme of traffic conditions,
is in itself a tremendous task, Com
missioner Elsberg said. If this zon-
ing is to be scientifically effective in
its results, then it must be scienti-
fically put into operation, he added,
and to this end he proposes to es-
tablish some characteristic stretch of
a state trunk highway as "labora-
tory"
A Scientific Method.
On this laboratory, under actual
traffic conditions, will be determined
the methods of zoning, the most
practical types of signs, and the speed
limits which can most effectively be
put into effect under all conditions
of traffic volume and road surfaces,
for the greatest benefit to the largest
number of highway users.
In the meantime, the zoning of the
entire state trunk system will await
the conclusions of these Laboratory
experiments, so that when the zones
are actually established they will be
practical and lasting.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Elsberg
pointed out, the temporary provision
"speed limits" at 80 miles through
populous areas and As miles on other
highways, will be just as effective
as local enforcement officers make
it-and no more so.
Local Officials Asked to Help.
Speed through cities and viii
lagos is automatically 80 miles per
hour under the new CODE" the COM
missioner said. IF local officials
will cooperate among themselves and
with the Highway patrol to enforce
this provision it will no doubt be
effective. Should they fail, then the
state highway department has no
other means at its command to carry
out its responsibility except to place
complete Stop signs in at least one
place in each such municipality.
"The department does not wish to
have to resort to the Stop sign meth
cd, and it will not need to do so if
state and local officers cooperate fully
in active enforcement for the protec-
ton of both townspeople and motor
lists. We believe observation of the
3O-mile limit will prove most sat-
isfactory both to the travelling pub
lie and to the people of the local
communities.
Meanwhile, in zoning for speed
we will try to avoid every avoidable
mistake by accurate tests and close
observation of results on an expert
mental section of trunk highway that
presents virtually all typical traffic
conditions and problems"