Evening star., 1942-11-25
Educational Program
Urged al Conference
To Cut Traffic Toll
Better Troinine Also
Suggested for Bus
Drivers and Motormen

Better education of the public and
better training of streetcar and bus
operators were agreed on today at a
conference between the Commission
ers and transportation and traffic
officials as among the best available
means of reducing Washington's s
traffic toll.
One suggestion was that police Of
ficers be authorized to board heavily
loaded buses or streetcars when they
note standees crowding at the front
OF the vehicle and to use moral
suasion" to get passengers to move
back" The city heads and other
officials agreed this was a good
idea, but no instructions to police
were issued, for the time being at
least.
One definite decision reached was
to centralize all trafiic information
in the ONCE of Traffic Director
William A. Van Duzer and to desig-
nate Howard F. Wentworth, the
public relations ofncer, to dissemi-
nate all such information, including
that coming from the Police Depart
ment.
Will Prepare Resumes.
Mr.. Wentworth is to prepare
resumes and traffic data memoranda
for the use of police officers making
talks before civic groups. with the
idea of preventing conflicting and
confusing statements said to have
occurred, in the past.
E. D. Merrill, president of the
Capital Transit Co., blamed war
jitters" for some of the difficulties
in handling streetcar and bus pas
sengers and mishaps to mass trans
portation vehicles.
Mr.. Merrill suggested that longer
draft deferments should be granted
for experienced streetcar and bus
operators in order to give the COM
pany time for better training of new
operators. Figures submitted to the
conference indicated that 66 per
cent of streetcar operators now in
service have had less than two years
experience with the company.
mo Mans Lands" Of Safety.
DR.. A. Magruder Macdonald, Dis
trict coroner, charged that the Dis
trict Public Utilities Commission was
encouraging jaywalking" by placing
streetcar loading platforms in the
middle of blocks. thereby creating
mo mans lands" as to traffic safety
Members of the PUG responded
by saying the commission did not
have sole jurisdiction, and that other
District agencies played a part in
the placing of platforms. However,
James H. Flanagan, PUG chairman,
promised that the agency would start
re-study of this problem at once.
The conference had been told of
some fatalities to pedestrians walk
ing to loading platforms.
Coroner Macdonald also protested
against lack of uniformity" in the
crosswalks and brought out that
grass plots in the middle of Penn
sylvania avenue Sc are under
jurisdiction of the National Capital
Parks Once. whereas most streets
are under jurisdiction of the COM
nissioners.
Protests Army Ambulances.
He also protested the operation Of
Army ambulances without sirens, al
though they travel through red
lights on hurry calls. He declared
private ambulances are abusing"
emergency driving privileges in
passing through red lights and in
sisted there was no need for either
public or private ambulances to
speed through busy intersections.
The conference took note of the 80
trafic fatalities officially recorded
since January (the number is 100,
including one person killed off pub
Tic highways, as compared with "a
by the end of November last year.
Zen were killed by buses, % by
streetcars. 81 by other vehicles and
by collisions of vehicles with fixed
objects.