Evening star., 1950-09-17
Use Of Federal
RoadUrgedin
Stop Light Fight
Police Coptoin Asks
> Diversion of Traffic
At Fourteenth and D


The roadway runs in line witt
D street between the Bureau o.
Engraving and Printing and the
Treasury's Accounting Division
annex. Its use has been proposed
to divert some of the traffic nov
dependent on the new stop light.
What action will be taken or
protests from commuters ovel
rush-hour delays blamed on the
new signal will rest with Traffic
Director George E. Keneipp, who
= is due back tomorrow from a WeSt
Coast trip.
Braun Defends Light.
Deputy Director Wallace Braun
who has been running the traffic
department in Mr.. Keneipp'S ab-
sence, has insisted that the new
) light is proving satisfactory. He
has made it known that traffic
signs designed to aid motorists II
approaching the light are to be
installed this week. Police who
have been on duty at the light
during rush hours then will be
removed, he has said.
Police Capt. Irwin H. limbaugh
Of No. 4 Precinct, whose men
patrol the intersection, was the
q first to suggest use of the En-
craving Bureaus roadway for
diverting some of the Fourteenth
street traffic.
This westbound roadway. which
is marked with a ID street"
sign, actually is Federal property
under Treasury control. 1t is
closed to public use by a sign
marked "Stop - No Thorough
fare" and a guard hut. Govern
ment employees use it for park
ing.
Sees Need for Light Ended.
Capt. limbaugh suggested send
ing southbound motorists who now
turn left into D street down the
Engraving road to Fifteenth in
stead. This right turn, he said
could eliminate the need for the
stop light at D and thus remove
the source of commuter COM
plant.
A spokesman for the A. 3 & w
bus line, which sends 180 buses
through the intersection every
rush period, seconded this pro-
poSal. Morton Knight, the lines
traffic director, said it would re-
lieve a bottleneck caused by the
present left-turn line which is
delaying rush-hour buses 5 to z
minutes.
At the scene Friday afternoon,
the bus official pointed out that
the long line of cars in the left
turn lane was obstructing not only
Southbourd traffic on Fourteenth
street, but also the westbound
traffic on c street waiting to turn
south on Fourteenth. Cars We're
backed up on c street as far as
Twelfth.
Lett Turn Banned.
Formerly, most of the left turns
from Fourteenth were made at
street but with the lew light al
D, the left turn into C has beer
banned.
Few of the vehicles in the line
waiting for the left signal at [
actually turned there yesterday
Most of the motorists wanted t.
drive to Virginia, but were forcee
or misled-into the turn line
Because buses were loading at tn,
curb, only single lane was lef
free for through traffic.
Mr.. Braun, who says 1900 car
can be expected to turn left at
daily, at first gave cold shoulde,
to Capt. Umbaugh's idea. He ha
said that the left turn is only ont
Justification for the light-tha
pedestrians and north5ound car
from Maine avenue also must b.
taken care of, and that there hav,
been too many accidents (nin'
this year, at D.
At the end of the week, how
ever, he indicated he was enter
tanning the proposal "in the bacl
of my mind" as possible remed!
for the southbound tieup, even j
not as an outright alternative t,
the stop light.
What reception the idea will ge
from Treasury officials-assuminl
somebody presses it's uncertain
Built during World War II TO
"emergency" purposes, the shor
private roadway never appears t.
be serving any vital purpose.
But Alvin w. Hall, the Engrav'
ing Bureaus director. said HI
would oppose any move to put i
to public use. For one thing, tn
grade at the Fifteenth street enc
is too steep to be safe and would
need rebuilding, he said. For an.
other, he fears dust from the traf.
flc might get into our litho
graphic presses"
Two-way Traffic Necessary.
In addition, Mr.. Hall pointed
out, D street-which became one
way eastbound to Twelfth wher
the new light went on-woulc
have to revert to two-way traffic
to enable Engraving trucks to get
into the annex on the east side o.
Fourteenth.
The only other ways to dispose
Of the left-turners, according tc
traffic officials, are to send then
aound the Jeffeson Memorial o.
over the bridge to Virginia, or tt
build a new cutoff onto Main,
avenue-an expensive proposition
According to critics of the ney
light. the pedestrians and Main,
avenue traffic aren't signifcan
enough to justify the light. Pedes
trians can cross Fourteenth at {
or in an underpass just below c
and the Maine avenue cars-fey
in number-always have manage'
to get by, they contend. MI
Braun doesn't accept this.
The D street intersection ha,