Evening star., 1940-03-14
Signal System
ToSuif Pedestrian
Needs Advocated
Menace Of Automobiles
Rounding Corners Cited
To Sofety Society

In an appeal to the general public
to face the pedestrian traffic fatality
problem in the District realistically.
Burton w. Marsh, director of the
safety and trafiic engineering de-
partment, American Automobile As
sociation, last night outlined q
comprehensive program Of pedes-
trian needs in this city in order
to bring about comparative safety
for the man on the street.
Speaking before the Washington
Safety Society at the Government
Printing ONCE, Mr.. Marsh impressed
upon his listeners that pedestrian
safety lay mot in hammering pedes-
trians on the head and dragging
them into court, but in helping them
and in understanding their needs"
The first step toward this goal, he
continued, would be to make the
traffic signal system suit pedestrian
needs. In fact, he said, some Of the
so-called signals throughout the city
can't even be puzzled out by the
ordinary citizen. Make the signals
simple, he urged, so that the pedes-
trian who doesn't have very good
vision can see what he's supposed
to do when he comes to a light.
Would Improve Timing.
Secondly, traffic signal cycles,
which are too long at present, should
be kept as short as will handle We
hicular traffic and at the same time
keep pedestrians moving. They
should't have to wait for red light
while a thin stream of automobiles
trickle past or perhaps no automo-
biles at all, the traffic ofdcial de-
clared.
And finally, pedestrians should
be given reasonable protection
when they cross on the proper
signal. In this connection, Mr..
Marsh termed the turning vehicle
drivers" the most flagrant violators
of the legal right of way given
pedestrians while crossing
Right here and now I want to
make a prediction" he asserted.
Zone of these days some one is
going to be killed while walking
across Pennsylvania avenue at East
Executive avenue NV. on the green
light" The southeast corner has a
green light for vehicles going
straight through on Pennsylvania
avenue and green arrow for
vehicles desiring to turn right from
Pennsylvania avenue into East
Executive avenue, !
''I've seen many person crossing
Pennsylvania avenue on the green
light and when the green arrow is
showing, and even though the pedes-
trian is given the right of way by
law, a taxicab will shoot into the
right turn channel and over the
crosswalk, nearly killing the bewil-
dered pedestrian" Mr.. Marsh added.
Cites Crosswalks at Circles.
Another factor in pedestrian safety
that needs improvement, he said, are
the so-called crosswalks at circles.
These he described as not only in
adequate, but dangerous. They
can hardly be seen under the most
favorable circumstances" he de-
clared.
In Bethesda, however, he pointed
out, the stripes on crosswalks are Is
inches wide so that motorists can't
help seeing them, instead of being
"a few dabs of paint on the street, as
they are too often in the District"
He pointed to the fact that seven
out of ten traffic fatalities in WASH
ington from January l, 1881, to No.
vember 80, 1898, were pedestrians.
In addition, 80 per cent of the pedes-
trians killed in the eight-year period
were not automobile drivers and
hadn't been drivers, he said.
This traffic toll, he said, indicates
that corrective measures are urgent
ly needed before regulatory meas
ures are passed, and at once.
He termed the walk" and don't
walk" signs at Thirteenth street and
Pennsylvania avenue NV. and SINH
lar signs at Union Station Plaza q
step In the right direction.
Five applications for membership
in the society were accepted. They
were Henry G. Desjardines, H. H.
Kelly, Grant L. Clarke, Raymond
s,eI Sak