Evening star., 1947-10-20
Unnecessary Duplication

The Interstate Commerce Commissions
proposal that local trucks and buses be
required to comply with its safety code for
interstate motor carriers is ill-conceived
and should be withdrawn 1t is ill-con-
ceived not only because it would impose
unnecessary burdens on owners of all COM
mercial vehicles in Washington and on the
1CC itself, but because it would encroach
on and duplicate activities of the District
Public Utilities Commission.
The ICC proposal is contained in tenta-
tive draft of safety-code revisions which
ICC officials have been discussing with
carrier representatives at a series of in
formal conferences. The present regula-
tions specifically exempt from code COM
pliance motor carriers operating only
within municipalities and contiguous areas
This is tacit recognition of the fact that
commercial vehicles serving, for example,
Washington and its suburbs, are not in the
category of interstate carriers within the
meaning of the ICC statutes. These local
carriers are properly subject to rigid Dis
trict safety regulations, which are strictly
enforced. What justification can there be
for superimpoSing an extra and onerous
set of regulations on the District regula-
tions?
In the case of the Capital Transit Com
pany, the proposal would mean a double
set Of standards and checkups for every
bus which crossed the District line. Unless
two classes of buses and drivers were estab-
lished by the company-a difficult under
taking from the operational standpoint
all local CTC buses and drivers would have
to comply with Federal as we'll as local
regulations respecting equipment and
personnel. The same would be true with
regard to commercial vehicles making de-
hveries for example, in Rosslyn, Virginia,
just across Key Bridge, or in Mount Rainier
Tor Chevy Chase, Maryland
How the ICC could expect to undertake
this new enforcement task here and in
many other cities hitherto exempted from
the rules is mystery. It's present funds
and staff certainly are inadequate for the
purpose. Additional appropriations un-
doubtedly would be necessary. 1t is hard to
see how request for such funds could be
Justified. in view of the unnecessary dupli-
cation of local regulations.
This proposal is the latest evidence of
WAAo9 SCCuio W Uc d ueVGlOpl1lS Ue0Qe0cV
on the part of the ICC to extend it's juris-
diction over local carriers 1t has already
cut across territory reserved to the District
PUG in retaining the reduced-rate transfer
arrangement between the Capital Transit
Company and two Virginia buslines serv-
ing the Pentagon and other Federal Offices
across the river. During the war it regu-
lated Capital Transit bus operations to
the Pentagon. In such extensions of it's
scope 1t has steadfastly ignored the agency
established by Congress to handle local
utilities, the District PUG. The local COM
mission has not been consulted about the
latest proposal, either.
Such public utility conflicts would be
eliminated permanently if there were set
up Metropolitan Area PUG legally author
lied to deal with public utility matters
In that area jointly affecting the District,
Virginia and Maryland. Such BODY, SUD-
plementing but not duplicating the work of
local agencies, would help to solve the
irritating jurisdictional problems which
inevitably arise under the present system.