Evening star., 1938-02-27
SEEKPEACE CROSS
.. TRAFFIC REMEDY
Junior Board Group to Try
Plan of Sending Cars by
Alternate Routes.
BY JOHN H. CAsSADY, Jr

ShSohDIy JIs
II you've ever been caught in one
of those traffic jams around the Peace
Cross on Bladensburg road, you've
probably murmured to yourself: why
doesn't some one do something about
this?"
Members of the Traffic Committee
Of the Junior Board of Commerce did
that for while, too. Then they be-
gan to wonder if they couldn't do
something about it, since no other or
ganizations studying traffic seemed to
feel that a problem existed there.
Several months ago the committee,
under direction of William o. Herr
mann, put its thoughts into action.
and their ultimate aim, which the
members expect to realize about three
months hence, is something little
different from the usual solutions for
traffic ills.
Work Begun Last Year.
The committee, which began func-
tioning actively only last summer, set
up special subcommittee on Wash
ington suburban traffic problems to
handle the Peace Cross situation. The
subcommittee soon discovered that,
from an engineering viewpoint, it
would cost considerably more money
than any one wanted to produce to
redesign the Peace Cross area to elm
mate congestion
Instead, the subcommittee decided
to inform the motorist how to miss
that section entirely in going to and
from washington. That, said the sub
committee, was one way of getting
around the problem.
With that in mind, they studied all
possible routes to direct traffic away
from the Peace Cross. The members
drew up maps showing the alternate
routes.
With the aid of newspapers and
radio, the subcommittee hopes to put
its plan into action by May 15-just
before the week end tricks to MARYLAND
beaches get under way. The unit also
plans to ask the cooperation of
Maryland authorities in erecting signs
and markers on all roads directing the
automobile driver to follow routes
which will miss the Peace Cross.
In this manner the subcommittee
hopes to eliminate what, at certain
times, is one of the most congested
sections in the roads around the Cap
1tal.
The Traffic Committee has not con-
fined its activities to the Peace Cross
problem, however. There are four
other subcommittee operating at the
present time. They are:
Operating regulations, headed by
Francis Stephens; automatic signals.
signs and markers, John Ecker: pedes-
trian rights and safety. E. R. Talbot.
and highway and parking, headed by
Malcolm Sharpe.
Suburban Groups.
The Subcommittee on washington
Suburban Problems was headed bv z,
D. Blackstone. Sd. who did consider
able work in connection with the Peace
Cross problem. but R. r. Guthrie is
now its chairman
The committee at present also is
conducting survey of Washington's
traffic accident and death toll.
In this connection Chairman Herr
mann said that although the commit
tee has not taken any definite action
1t Is his personal belief that all park
ing should be banned in the business
section and all main thoroughfares
He feels that the movement of traffic
could be speeded up If more streets
were made one way.
MIR. Hermann said the compulsory
automobile inspection law passed for
the District by Congress should 20 a
long way toward eliminating many
causes of accidents.