Evening star., 1952-01-09
Exemption LIST
In Snow Traffic
Plan Hit byAAA
Organization Awaits
Test Before Acting
On Basic Proposal

On Basic Proposal
Organized opposition to part Of
the Districts yet untried snow
emergency plans threatened new
headaches for city officials today
The opposition was brought out
into the open yesterday by the
American Automobile Association
AAA's District Advisory Board at
tackled a series Of exemptions from
the city's new snowstorm traffic
restrictions affecting 56 main
streets.
Traffic Director George E. Ke-
neipp told The Star the AAA pro-
test actually was made last week
to his Snow Planning Committee
He said he thought the matter had
been pretty well covered then, and
indicated he was not inclined to
take it up again, at least imme-
diately.
Meanwhile, Montgomery Coun.
ty officials have agreed to sand
some State roads in the suburban
area to ease traffic jams during
bad weather.
At the same time, County Man
ager Irving G. McNayr told the
County Council yesterday he does
not plan to follow the District in
banning vehicles without chains
or snow tires from busy thorough
fares.
AAA, in a resolution, voiced Sc
rious objection to exemption of
many non-private vehicles, includ-
ing taxicabs, from the snowstorm
ban against use of main arteries
by cars without chains or snow
tires.
Would Drop Exemptions.
The motoring group, which
speaks for 10000 members here,
asked elimination of many or all
Of the exemptions.
The AAA board neither ap-
proved nor disapproved the So
street restriction plan as a whole.
Washington I. Cleveland, District
AAA director, said the organiza-
ton would wait until after an
actual storm to take a position
on the larger issue.
Mr.. Cleveland told The Star
the thinking Of the AAA leaders
is that no exceptions at all should
be made to the chain or snow-tire
requirement. This was not speci-
fled in the formal resolution, how
ever.
Almost simultaneously Walter
w. Hubbard, editor Of the AAA's
magazine American Motorist, is
sued a formal statement, attack
ing the ban as "a punitive meas
ure against passenger cars only"
He asserted AAA members are
overwhelmingly against manda-
tory use Of chains or snow tires.
Mr.. Ireneipp defended the new
plans at the AAA advisory boards
meeting in the Mayfiower Hotel.
Expects Cabs to Be Idle.
With respect to the exemption
list, he touched specifically only
on taxicabs. He said his commit
tee believed cab drivers would stay
of the streets if they could not
navigate, since otherwise they
would lose money. Therefore, he
explained, the official view was
that 1--WE could afford to give
them one chance before we crack
down on them"
John H. King, chairman of the
AAA committee which criticized
the exemptions, especially cited
the taxiS.
Also on the list, which has been
somewhat revised since it's first
issuance, are these other vehicles:
Public buses, vehicles making
emergency deliveries of gasoline,
fuel oil, coal, food, milk, medicine
and surgical instruments; emer-
gency public utility vehicles, am
balances, snow-removal and sand
ing trucks, hearses and funeral
professions, tow trucks, newspaper
vehicles, both Federal and Dis
trict, and all diplomatic vehicles.
Sees Confusion in Enforcement.
AS for the requirement of chains
or snow tires, Mr.. Hubbard in his
statement maintained that not
enough Of either are available to
meet the demand. He predicted
that attempts at strict enforce
ment will cause far more confu-
sion than occurred in the Decem-
Der IA storm, which inspired the
new regulations.
In reporting to the Montgom-
cry County Council on plans to
sand State roads, Mr.. McNayr
explained the county has four
times as much equipment for
sanding and removing snow from
roads as the State.
He made it clear, however, that
the agreement is only temporary.
The council then directed him to
confer with the State Roads Com
mission in an attempt to get more
road maintenance equipment in
the county.
"As long as we are willing to
take care of State roads our
selves" the county manager
pointed out, "the commission will
continue to concentrate its equip
ment in other counties"
CanireII SuDD0rts Allen