Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-20
Musical Horns Banned
In New Campaign on
Traffic Noises
Commissioners Also
Adopt Parking Rules for
Seven More Streets

Dissatisfied with the results OBJ
tanned under their present anti
noise regulations, the District Com
missioners today adopted recon-
mendations by Traffic Director Will
liam A. Van Duzer to clamp down
on noise making motorists by in
voking new bans on multi-toned
automobile horns and on muff1er
cutouts.
The rules will 60 into effect in
about 10 days. after legal notice has
been published.
The Commissioners also adopted
new parking restriction rules for
seven streets and designated sections
of five other streets for one-Way
traffic.
In his justification for tighter
regulations on noise making auto
mobile gadgets Director Van Duzer
told the Commissioners:
In 1886 a noise-abatement cam
paign was inaugurated in the Dis
trict and as a result of that cam
paign some rather stringent regula-
tions were adopted against unneces-
sary horn blowing. One of these
regulations prohibited any horn
blowing whatever between midnight
and am. Another prohibited use
of a horn except as warning Of
danger.
New Type Of Horn Cited.
I'm spite of these efforts, the noise
continues and the horns seem to be
louder and more prolonged than
ever.
Attention recently has been called
to a new type Of horn now on the
market which plays various tunes
which ordinarily continue for as long
as 10 seconds Obviously such horns
are not used primarily as a warning
of danger, but more as misdirected
fad"
The Commissioners ruled that
'the sounding of any mechanical
horn having more than two tones or
notes is hereby prohibited, nor shall
any horn be operated to produce
sound duration of more than two
seconds, except in case of emergen-
Cy"
They also added the following to
another regulation:
And no inspection certificate shall
be approved or issued for any motor
vehicle equipped with muffler cut
out unless the same be sealed so as
to prevent its use, and any willful
breaking or destruction of such seal
shall be deemed a violation of these
regulations.
The Commissioners also adopted
amendments to traffic regulations
which remove past prohibitions
against trucks, trailer trucks and
tractor trucks, having a gross weight
in excess of $500 pounds, travelling
at speed of more than 10 miles an
hour. Mr.. Van Duzer said the pur-
pose was to permit these large We
hicles to move with other traffic,
since the development of brakes
made this safe.
One-Way Streets Designated.
The following sections Of streets
were designated as one-way arteries:
Flagler street, from U to Adams
streets NV, for south-bound traffic
only; Thirty-third street, from M
street to Wisconsin avenue NV, for
north-bound traffic only; Thirty
fourth street, from Wisconsin avenue
to M street NV, for south bound
traffic only; Pierce street, from First
to North Capitol streets NE, for
westbound traffic only, and Warren
street, from B to C streets NE, for
south-bound traffic only.
The following new parking restric-
tons were adopted:
Lanier place NV, on the north
side from 1923 to l705 Lanier place,
no parking at any time.
Loughboro road NV, from Little
Falls road to Conduit road, no
parking on the north side at any
time. Mr.. Van Duzer reported the
Board of Public Welfare had re-
quested this rule to avoid trouble
between parkers and inmates of the
National Training School for Girls.
Park road NV, from Eleventh
street to New Hampshire avenue, no
parking on the north side 1t any
time.
South street NV. from Wisconsin