Evening Star Newspaper, May 10, 1925, Page 59

‘I’HE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. OTORS and" DOWN THE ROAD—Much Easier Said Than Done. Local Conditions Require Varied Traffic Regulations Impossibility of Providing Unified Rules Indicated by Survey of Problems %in Many Cities, Both Large and Small. BY WILLIAM ULLMAN. Variations in traffic regulations for ‘the most part are the result of varia- tions in local conditions, not a resuit of the failure of local authorities to recognize the value of a more stand- ardized system of motor regulations, This is the conclusion reached by many traffic experts and officials who have toured the country with a view 10 discovering why all cities, towns and States do not follow the same traffic pattern. According to the investigators, lo- val aythorities, and even the motorists and pedestrians themselves, are de- fending their peculiar methods of traffic direction as being most logical for the particular conditions to be met with. In almost every case where investigators have studled conditions the local authorities were found to be doing the best they could under, the circymstances. Only in a very few instances was it possible to effect the adoption of another city's methods without serious complications. This is sald to be changing the whole picture of uniformity of fotor vehicle regulations agd laws. One of the most brilliant minds on automo- bile regulation made the statement that uniformity is a five-year job. That was said three years ago. Th latest thought is that until all citi are rebuilt to fit the one pattern uni formity may never be possible. Criticism is Answered. Considerable criticism is made of the rule in Philadelphia whereby traf- flc that desires to make a left turn muyst pull up to the right curb to await instructions. Motorists reach- ing Philadelphia from other cities where the rule is to keep to the cen- ter of the street when about to turn left loudly condemn the strange prac- tice and accuse the Philadelphia au- thorities of blocking the progress of standardization. Any one who drives around Phila- delphia for a few days, however, will discover that the rule is rather log cal for the conditions and that kee ing to the center of the street would not do at all. . Philadelphia is a city of street car lines. Tracks are everywhere, on the narrow streets as well as on the wide ones, Broad street excepted. To keep 10 the center, therefore, would mean 10 keep in the way of street cars, This would tie up traffic into a serious tangle. Because it is necessary for a city 1o be somewhat consistent in its traffic rules, the “right eurb” preliminaries 1o the left turn are required even where street car lines are not found. Again, logic is found. Philadelphia may adopt the rather universal practice of keeping to the center when, and if, bus transporta- tion replaces surface street car lines, because then the center of the street will be free and the busses will be making their stops &t the right-hand curb, Some Use Bell System. Some cities are using a bell system at the centers, When the alarm rings every motor vehicle stops, pedestrians then going apy way they please in safety. This seems like a strange process to the newcomer, and many tourists and traffc' students want to rule it out instantly. But what are the facts? Many of these towns or small cities have regular hubs for centers. Trafiic is heavy, and it is impossible to con- irol traffic with lights or semaphore Placing several traffic directors at the varioys points of the circle seems to complicate matters still more, Thus there is only one answer; All vehicu- Jar traffic or all pedestrian traffic alternately are warned by the sound- ing of a bell alarm. Local ‘conditions dictate local traffic regulations, experts are finding. Los Angeles is not Washington, nor is ‘ashington traffic regulations appli- cable to Los Angeles. True, there are certain traffic features of any city which could well be adopted by the traffic autherities of every other city, ut local regulations, no matter how peculiar, cannot be dropped until the peculiarities of local conditions are re- moved. Complain at Wait. "A number of motorists who have traffic. The playground of the. world is using a three-light signal system on the two main avenues, Pacific and Atlantic, which run the length of the city parallel with the beach. In aim- ing for the beach-front hotels travel- weary motorists wonder why they have to wait so long before the lights permit them to cross these two arteries of travel, and almost every tourist who meets this situation for the first time wants to tell the au- therities how the lights are handled in Detroit or in their own home town. After they have been.at the shore for a few days they discover that most of the traffic plies up and down' the two main streets and that it is only logical to allow the majority of mo- torists to have the benefit of the longer “go” period. New York City has been widely praised for its self-operating inter- sections where painted ‘posts, ropes and keep-to-theright signs manage to handle thousands of units of traffic without #0 much as a hitch. This plan has been widely recommended for every city and town in the country, but many are beginning to find that it “works” in New York because New York is different. Step Lively In New York. Pedestrians step livelier in New York than in smaller cities, The best drivers in the world are in Manhat- tan. With so many drivers public opinion acts as a guardian of the crossways, violators getting a prompt reprimand from their fellows. Atlanta has 250 silent cops, but in- vestigators find that there are peculiar local conditions there which make this d ing the blind plea for uniformity of regulations. Because left turns are a source of complication in some citfes, by reason of their peculair layout, other cities have prohibited left turna has only one trafic officer to each 4,166 motor vehicles many other cities have been led to believe that fewer traffic offi- cers can handle traffic with greater safety, particularly since Seattle had no motor fatalities for January and February of 1925 as well as 1924. But these other cities do not take into consideration the quality of the po- lice direction of Seattle, Some of the Western States have very low limits for operators, but too many uniformity advocates forget that 2 Western boy of 14 on & ranch is bet- ter fitted for handling a motor vehicle than an Eastern schoolboy of the same age. ‘Thern is more logic in local traffic regulations than appears on the sur- face to the outsider, There may be positive danger in urging cities to adopt regulations that do not belong to it, for its traffic rules are largely dictated by local needs. (Copyright, 1925.) Hi TR JARDINE TO DISCUSS TRANSPORT BY TRUCK Roads as Avenues of Commerce Subject at Midwest Con- ference. The place of the highways as avenues of commerce Wwill be dis- cussed by Secretary of Agriculture Willlam L Jardine before the Mid- Motor Transport Con!cn‘nczo‘ to J‘r%o M'ydzth “Unl!“ Secretary ne an States Bureau of Public Roads have been paying particular attention to the commercial relationship of high- ways to farm prosperity and general use by the public. Several economic studies by the bureau already have been published, others are under way, and it epected some new im- portant facts resulting from these studies will be announced by the Sec- retary at the conference. ‘The purposes of the conference are to discuss how terminal costs may be lowered, trucks economically em- ployed for ghort haul, cost accounting introduced in the truck fleld to elimi- nate_unfair competition, and co-ordi- nated plans developed to save time and expense. ——— THE 1925 Facts ané Figures of the Automobile_ Industry — e —ee (Compiled by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce.) The averago retail price of new cars sold is $825. Cars cost today 29 per cent less than before the war. 17,592,000 motor vehicles are registered in the United States. Motor vehicle special taxes are paying 42 per cent of the total highway bill. Foreign markets consume 12 per cent of the output of American autamobile factories. $800,000,000 in Federal excise taxes has been paid by the automo- bile industry in seven year: 83 per cent of the cars and trucks in the world are in the United States; 90 per cent of the world's cars in 1924 were made in this country. 1,089,995 motor tourists visited the national parks in 1924; 10,300,- 000 visited the national forests. .There are 60,000 busses in operation in the United States, Of these 3,250 are owned by 200 electric railway companies, Rails s recelved $400,980,000 in freight revenues from automo- tive products in one year, and paid $34,164,000 in taxes for highways. ‘The automobile manufacturing industry represents capital invest- ment ‘359 $1,691,050,112, an increase of approximately 66 per cent since ¥ 79 cities had fewer fatal motor accidents in 1924 than in 1923; there ‘were 5 per cent fewer grade crossing fatalities in 1924 than in 1923, ‘The automobile industry ranks first among all United States man- ufactures, rated according to wholesale value of production—$3,163,327,- 874 in 1923, acconling to figures of the Bureau of Census. STUNT WORTH TRYING. | BUSSES UNITING CHINA, CONSCIENTIOUS OBSERVE _ ALL THE L (ol ., ¥ (7 Use Black Cloth on Globes. In removing a light globe use a black cloth. A white cloth on a hot globe will burn the fingers. Use of a cloth will also protect the glabe from finger prints, and in case it breaks the glass will not cut the fingers. IOTORIS HO TRIES IO TRAFFIC SIGNS — ¥ ¢, MAY 10, 1925—PART 3. Bearing Caps Numbered. The caps on the main and con- necting rod bearings of the engine are marked so as to match. The marking is usually a number. Un- less the caps are replaced so as to match, the engine will probably knock, Pictures Help in Impressing Safety Lessons on Children Details of Plan Explained for Which Highway Education Board Gave $500 Prize—Award Made Here. A lesson on safety for school chil- dren recently brought Mrs. Myrtle A. Roe, school teacher, of Sterling, Colo., to Washington, where she was hon- ored by the President and Mrs. Cool- idge and awarded a $500 prize by the Highway Education Board. Mrs. Roe was the winner in a national contest conducted by the board, and her les- son was chosen from among a large number of contestants. Miss Edith B. Whitney of Virginia, Minn., and Miss Hazel 1. Leland of Burlington, Vt. were awarded second and third prizes, $300 and $200, respectively. Mrs. Roe explained the objects of the safety lesson were to help the chil- dren bpcome familiar with highway safety habits through classroom in- struction; to stimulate a desire to prac- tice in everyday life these correct habits, and to provide through school activities an opportunity to “learn by doing.” Plan Is Outlined. She described the preparation and presentation of her lesson as follows: “In preparation for this lesson, safety books, magazines and bulletins were obtained. The children were given easy access to this material. The safety bulletins were hung about the classroom. The ‘Do’ slo- gans, giving the children positive sug- gestions for constructive thinking, were selected. By this means a single picture told a “specific story more vividly than did pages of type. The children studied these pictures at every opportunity. “The topic ‘How the Community Aids the Citizen to Protect His Life” was discussed by the class, The prin- cipal thought of this lesson was that the citizen's life and safety depend upon the careful observance of laws and regulations made by the commu- nity. “In the development of this lesson it was found that constant violation and lax enforcement of highway laws and regulations cause many acci- dents. Price of Laxity Siressed. It was impressed upon the pupil's mind that the individual who disre- sards the regudations imposed by the even in such slight mat- ters as the speed of his bicycle, is helping to make his city an unsafe and unpleasant place in which to live: that the individual who obeys the regulations and traffic rules is helping to make his city a safe and desirable place in which to live. “A large graph was then presented showing the seriousness of the acci- dent hazard resulting from the tre mendous increase in automobile traffic during the past 10 vears. “The graph was piotted from avail able yearly records of automobile f: talities and the total number of au- tomobiles registered, showing how the number of accidents had increased in direct ratio with the number of au- tomobiles in use. In 1912, with 1,000, 000 registered cars in use, there were 3,000 automobile fatalities. In with 12,000,000 automobiles regid- tered, approximately 14,000 persons were killed in traffic accidents. Ap- proximately each increase of a million automobiles in use added 1,000 to tle death toll. Mortality Rate High. : “A second chart was then presented. Perhaps the most alarming feature of the automobile accident is the high mortality among children. The data used in this graph had been compiled from the publications of the United States Bureau of the Census. The dis] tribution of fatalities from 1918 te 1922 by age groups was fairly uniform from year to vear. One-third of all persons killed by automobile accidents in 1922 were children under 15 years. The least number of fatal aggidents oceur to children under 5 vears. The greatest number of fatalities among children_under 15 occur between the ages of 5 and 9 years. “The pupils began to realize the seriousness of the automobile hazafd resulting from the tremendous in crease in traffic. They felt a sense of their responsibility. Get Copies of Code. “Copies of the Council of National Defense Code of General Highway Traffic Regulations for motorists and ns were handed out. The dismissed with these ques- What traffic rules must you, know to help the citizen protect his life? If vou are interested in civic af- fairs, what will you want to do? What organizations within our school and city will help vou? A “The next day the pupils returned with many suggestions. After some discussion the following traffic rules were selected as the ones to be prac ticed until_they become daily habité (Continued on Lleventh Page.) ‘Does Doubled Safety Mean Anything to You? Wouldn’t it be a tremendous satisfaction to you to increase the driving safety of your family 100%? Wouldn’t you be willing Hint for Those Who Lightly Esti- mate Car Ownership. If you think car ownership has re- solved itself into a- few cut-and-dried rules, or that there is nothing new to learn, here is a little stunt in gasoline economy worth trying: ‘The next time you take a trip over the open road or through the city make no effort to coast nor to tamper with the carburetor. Instead, elimi- nate unnecessary stopping. Drive the car as though it had no brakes. Rather than take a chance, proceed cautiously. You'll be surprised to find-that your gas mileage will be the best you have ever obtained. It will convince you that stretching the gallons means to stop stopping. Killing momentum costs money. Operated Over Motor Roads Are Regarded Peace Promoter. Buses operated over newly built motor roads will within the next dec- ade bring about unification of China, which 10 years of fighting has failed to accomplish, predicts a writer in a recent issue of Asjatic Motor. In the three years since Red Cross engineers first built famine roads in that country the mileage of improved highways, privately built for the most part, has more than doubled. In the 4,000 miles of motor roads now in use or under construction and in the hundreds of buses already in opera- tion the writer sees at work forces that will wipe out tribal animositi and make for friendly, progressive rivalry among cities and sections thus brought together. o to go to considerablg expense to do so? Yet, without an cxtra penny of cost to you, Oakland offers you and your family this added safety through its Oakland-type four-wheel brakes. = = These brakes have neatly two years of unchal-- lenged success behind them. They are designed for and built into every Oakland. = =~ Learn for yourself the doubled safety they provide — the quick, easy stops — the great reserve of braking power—the freedom from skidding. Let us demonstrate. at 13755 General Motors' Tim’a?.y-nut Plan Saves You Money ’ aken their cars to Atlantie City have States with a well developed high. een annoyed at what they first feel to | way system provide the farm-to- be an error in the method of directing | market roads. Announcing the Appointment . ' of the HawkinsNash Motor Co. ] 1337 14th Street N.W. Yesterday, Today "\ ad Tomorrow - A proper conception of the idea of service is responsible for the continged prosperity of the firm of R. MeReynolds & Son. Sixty years ago it was the best in carriages. Today it is the sales and service of the beautiful line of Nash Automobiles. M-WquMthuhhmforthe Sales and Servicing of NASH Automobiles: There can be no more convincing argument in favor of a firm than the fact that it has given true service through sixty years of yesterdays, to? days and tomorrows. N. D. HAWKINS, Jr,, President and General Manager of. the new firm, has been identified with Nash automobiles here for :‘number of years and is thorpughly experienced »with Nash sales and service policies, A S Delivered Prices L30T pe—— ¥} Touring ou.eo vouura SLANM ™ Adams Motor Company 1612 14th St. Pot. 1742 L OF It is a pleasure te merely exhibit the new 1925 Ad- vanced Sixes. Drop in this evening. B. W. GEYER, Vic¢ President and Treasurer, is a public Two-door Sedan. ... accountant, long gssociated with D. N. Burnham & Co., Victoris ....,e......S525000 : Fourdoor Coupe... 233500 Certified Public Accountants. : : WALLACE MOTOR COMPANY HOLDING G 00D wittL AND SIX GENERAL MOTORS W WININ I N G OA PRODUCT A R. McReynolds & Son o 142327 L Street Lth at Park Road ' Main 7728-20