Evening Star Newspaper, March 4, 1928, Page 66

I+ 3 'HISTORY OF ROADS - TOBE PORTRAYED U. S. Exhibit at C. of C. Ex- position to Depict Progress of Highways. The story of the building of more and better roads, traced from the days of the pioneers trudging their way across the prairies to the present era .of paved highways. will be depicted in| an extensive exhibit which the United States Bureau of Public Roads is pre- paring for the fourth annual industrial exposition. sponsarsd by the Washing- ton Chamber of Commerce. The ex- position opens March 12 and continues throughout the week at the audi- torium. A featurs of the burcau's exhibit will be the electrically lighted pictorial representation of United States High way No. 40. which connects the S with the West. This portion of th~ {isplay measures 64 fect in width and 18 10 feet high. On the right is an Atlantic City bathing scene. From this a continuous trail of flashing elec- tric lights marks the path of Route No. 40 in its progress to the westward, the lighted course ending at the left of the exhibit with a painting of a ship en- tering the Golden Gate. Represents £18,000,000 Fund. The slogan “Build through roads through with Federal aid” in large ters above the display sounds the ke: note of the whole array. which includ: Information regarding the present status of the chief transcontinental route. For instance, it will be stated that Highwar No. 40 is continuou: from Wilmington, Del. to St. ) Kans., a distance of 1.234 miles: sur- faced for 800 miles from Salt Lake City to San Francisco. and unimproved for less than 14 per cent of its total length of 3.206 mile In this exhibit it is also revealed that Route No. 40 represents an allot- ment of nearly $18.000.000 of Federa! aid funds by the Governr:>nt. and that Federal aid projects in the route in- clude 700 miles of pavement. 726 miles of surfaced road. 132 miles of graded roadway and more than 4 miles of bricg:: Benefits Described. Besides this delineation of the route there will be five booths to tell in graphic manner the ben°fit of good roads. the achievements in construs tion under Federal aid system and th cost of various phases of the road- buliding program. One hooth which has attracted considerable attention exhibited elsewhers points out as lack of wisdom the failure to build good roads. ment the center of this booth contains 8 pile of worn-out tires and damaged car parts, bearing th: label “Bad rom’ taxes.” ‘The status of Federal aid roads in the Eastern States is expleined in 2 second booth. while a third unit of the eexhibit answers the question, “What has Federal aid.done for the 11 West- ern States?” . Anpther section display- ing the legend “The new freedom of tion” points to the freedom transportal from isolstion for the farmer and free- | dom from dweller tional roads. A unit compares pictorially the means of transportation in the davs of the prairie schooner| ceding cases. If a driver fails to handle Pedestrians. By way of mute argu-| THE |ENGINEERS MUST SOLVE ILLS OF TRAFFIC, Barry Mulligan During a_recent essay contest on street and highway safe conducted { by the American Road Builders’ Associ | ation, the socond prize was awarded t | Barry Mulligan of this city. connected { with the Burcau of Standards. The | first prize was awarded to a writer on | traffic education. A summary of Mr. Barry's e { which in its original form covered many pages and carried various diagrams; is { here set forth: ! The solution of the traffic safety problem will probably be found in en gineering methods, rather than in re- | Hance upon legal enforcement or safety education. The last two may not be ' neglected. howev Safety education {among school children is cspecially to! | be encouraged, aithough the writer be- | Meves that the root of the large peds | trian “accident™ record lies in the fact repeatedly emphasized by many others, that our “horse-drawn-vehicle streets™ | do not fit the requiremenis of present- day_traffic. While some structural changes in street arrangem~nis have becn made, and these have produced very beneficial results, our ideas in ‘this matter are almost as “solidified” and difficult of readjustment as the actual physical rect features of stone and concrete. The public is likelv to be apathetic toward suggestions for radical changes. Blaming the Driver. Disregarding the thing struck, there are three faciors to be considered and | weighed as to their importance in caus- | ing collisions, and as to their probable | susceptibilities of improvement. These ! factors are the motor vehicle, the driver, and the street or road with its appurtenances and existing traffic. | "It scems safe to assume that the { vehicle per se. that is, apart from the features which are psychological characteristics of the human, is least likely to be to blame The driver has received. by far, the largest share of the criticism in cases iof collision. The tendency to blame the driver may be studied with respect to three different classes of circum- stances. ! The first class pertains to the driver himself. He may actual on account of mental or physical de- (fects, inattention. intoxication, or | criminal disregard for law or safety. i\ The second class of circumstances pertain to the vehicle and would seem to involve a somewhat less degree of culpability on the part of the driver. There are certain influences associated with the machine control devices, such as horn, starter, clutch, gear shift, brak accelerator, signal, etc., the i necessity of performing several opera- tions almost simultaneously, and likeli- hood of bad or dangerous results such as stripped gears or stalled motor if a { mistake is made, which are often r sponsible for confusion. but the cause is usually classified under deficiencies of the driver. In short. one of the | undoubted causes of accident is the complicated nature of the machine control, which the driver is required to handle in times of stress and con- fusion. | Handicaps of Road. 1+ The third class of circumstances re- |seem to reflect less blame upon the | driver than in either of the two pre- {*Horse-Drawn Vehicle Large Cause of Present Confusion by interrelated to | y be to blame | SAYS D. C. MAN|: Held Streets” . Prize Essayist. | ments so crude and simple. that. the average mind hardly recognizes it as |a trouble maker. However, many stu- dents suspect that the highway is a most important factor in collisions, In the more complete paper, referred to in “the first paragraph, the writer attempt- led to discuss this third factor rather fully. Proposals for “safety strect inter- | sections,” one-way operation of streets and roads, channelization, segregation lof the different classes of vehicles by lancs, and a_complete signal system, were made. The highway was treated as if it had about the same relation- ship to the vehicle that a railroad treck bears to the train. | " ‘The intersection of vehicle and pedes- trian paths is creating a problem of increasing gravity and a solution of this problem is necessary before we may expect to reduce the dispropor- tionately large number of pedestrian accidents, Many suggestions for multi- level arrangement of sidewalks and traffic ways have been made, but any- thing like a satisfactory generalized plan has yet to be proposed. ' Presum- ably, grade separation of city streets fs il within the range, of possibility where groups of buildings covering a consicerable arca are being designed but not yet built. These proposals, how= ever, are most frequently advocated for areas covered by permanent construc- tion—that is. the central business dis- tricts of large cities—and in such cases the adoption of grade separation plans would entail reconstructions of such magnitude that they would be prohib- ited for financial reasons. — It seems axiomatic that the present-day traffic engincer will be obliged to solve the pedestrian safety problem upon the sur- face of the ground and as delimited by existing building lines. Everyday experience as well as care- ful study indicates that the present ustom of having pedestrians cross high- ways at designated crosswalks closely adjacent to rcgular highway intersec- | tions cannot be advantageously modi- | fied with respect to location. Mid- block crossings are not seriously advo- cated at the present time. The present tendency to regard the center of the street upon the crosswalk as a logical place for a “safety zone" is constantly gaining favor. The difficulties prevent- ing the general adoption of pedestrian | safety zones are important and demand | { careful study. | Fear Causes Jaywalking. | The crux of the pedestrian safety question upon city streets is that, aside from intersection control by traffic offi- cers or signals, the intersections are places of extraordinary danger. This Is frue to such an extent that much of the crossing of streets between intersec- itions by pedestrians is due to ths fear of the intersection. In order to estab- lish a practice of crossing streets at crossings, these will have to be made safe. Pedestrian paths at intersections are subject to many irregularities in | spite of the use of painted lines. These | Irregularities result in pedestrians | rambling across In a state of confusion. | At uncontrolled intersections there is | no adequate assurance that the pe- |destrian may not be run down or chased off the street. The multiplicity comgestion for the City jate to the road and the traffic upon it. | Of paths and path intersections, ir- wlich &e achieved by addi- | Accidents involving this_class Do ild | regular vehicle courses and_bursts of speed on the part of the drivers, make {1t hazardous and wasteful of time for This is especially true with the giant trucks running over the his machiue safely or properly in case |UPOR the wider streets. While officer paved s of toda PERSONAL LIABILITY FEATURES MEASURE (Continued from Sixth Page.) covering their entire ficet of trucks, but the hz?fldfl that this must be at the ral #5000 for each truck. As an example, if the X Co. owned fleet of 10 trucks it could be in- under a blanket policy, but reg,ulred to cai 850,000 ty insurance, the advan- tage of a blanket policy being that th company would be able to obtain a lit- tle cheaper rate. Situation Held Unique. In the writing of the bill the framers were confronted with a unique situation found in the District which would not be true of any other State. Much of the District’s traffic, despite its small area. comes from other States. Con gress is without authority to pass an i surence measure in the District whic would be effective in Maryland and Vir- ' ginia. 50 to get around this the bill in substance says to Maryland and Vir- ginia motorists this: “While you are a non-resident as you come into the Dis- | trict, 1n case of personal injury you shall have but one defense when vou are sued. That one defense will be that You were exercising due care at time of the accident. You will not bhe permitted the customary defense. that the plaintiff was guiity of contribu negligence The bill then provides that if the Vir- and Maryland motorists desire to protected in any such case they may pply for insurance in the same man- Ber as the District motorists, The strictly non-resident 5 who come to Washington only occa sionally and molorists who are classified as tourists are not aflected by the oill in any way. That is 1o say, that a Pennsylvania motorist touring throughn the District who should strike and | jure another might avail himself of i customary defense that party v eligent_and contributed It was only recently that the great impor- tance of proper valve action as it relates to the proper functioning of the motor has gained the studious attention it deserves. The KWIK. WAY SYSTEM is the ONLY scientific and practical method known which will effectively remedy faulty valve conditions, Jt has gained national recognition as the standsrd practice. It puts new pep in old motors and makes new motors better. Valves Are Corrected, Not Ground, by Kwik-Way System William H. Oshurn | Rear 1114 18th 5t. N.W, | »f imminent collision, it is fair to assume that conditions upon the road may be beyond his control. These conditions | may be uncontrolled traffic or street ar- rangements which jockey traffic into a stafe of mutual interference, confu- |sion or denger. The driver has, to considerable extent, been obliged to a sume responsibility for lack of traffic control or antiquated street arrang ments. Assuming that simplified mi | chine control will not soon be realized. the question of the direct and indirect deficiencies (those relating to machine | control) on the part of the driver, will | be most easily controlled by the selec- | ion of drivers by municipal authorities. The third factor responsible for acci- dent, and apparently least suspected. is the road. A street or road is so totally | inanimate and the nature of its ele- bis own injury and therefore cannot recover. | The law as developed by the trend of modern decisions which makes a motor- | Ist responsible to his guest in case of | personal injury s not changed by the Treadway measure. An owner, inviting | his guest to ride with him. and who n- jures that guest, might be sued, and, should the guest recover, the first $5,000 | would have 1o be paid by the insurance | | company. Any amount recovered u der and above that the owner wou.d nave to bear himself. | control is reasonably safe, it is expen- sive and wasteful of time for the | vehicles—that is, it reduces speed. The | fact that officer control does not now { exist, and probably never will exist, at a large proportion of the intsrsections is_the best argument against it. The writer proposes a safety street Intersection which is expected to benefit motorist as well as prdestrian. The de- sirability of a large radius of the curb at the corner is apparent. Traffic | channels adjacent to safety zones jare 10 feet wide. The pedestrian has jonly to cross a channel 10 feet wide. and this crossing is always at right angles to the vehicular stream, as it {should be. The angle of vision which | the pedestrian is required to cover is | considerably less than where safety | zones ere lacking. Elderly people are | especially limited in the facllity with | which they can move their ~heads |around, and this failing is responsible, {In part, tor the heavy toll of victims in this age group. | Guard walls will serve to keep | people upon the crosswalks and reduce | the amount of confusion created by pedestrians crossing the streets. The sidewalk area within the guard walls | 1s obtained, in effect, by extending the curb out to cover two approximately triangular spaces which, under present conditions, are frequently occupled by pedestrians, but often inconveniently and dangerously blocked by parked au- BRAKE SERVICE For Every Car We Installed this machine for | Your Safety the injured PEHIS Tra - DroM lm... all the quickl Inings Lathe and your hrake adding Jonger and tres and perfect action o your Do nor reline your hrakes ot having the drns trued have this wachine for sour driving safes and brake economy, score drums Iife wiving brake RELINING PRICES and Time Per Set Hupmobile (6 Hudson . Jewett Jordan Lincoln Maxwell Nash ... Overland (4) . Overland (6) ... Overland (Whippet) Ponthae ... ckard Studebaker Willys-Knight © SLE 7.00 3 5. Genuine Ford Bands, $1.60 LABOR AND MATERIAL 16-Minute Service Special Features One-Year Guarantee, Free Ad- Justments, Linendoll Brake Tenter and Cowdry SKtop - Meter Teatr under road conditios Aluminum Rivets. drilled, tersunk and veted by machl Mattison, Johns-Mansville, Products, Open 7 AM. to 7:30 P.M. Sundays, 7 AM. to 1 P.M. eashy- Rusco AUTO BRAKE SERVICE CO. 425 K St. N.W. Phone Franklin 8208 Oviginators of Flat Rates and Fair Prices on Specialized FRANK P, Fe SURL o ger m the vight place! thop. We do nothing but b Brohke Service LEACH, Prop. Ours s not a tive rakes SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, tomobiles. Vehicles are prevented from crossing these areas unexpectedly. The radius of 30 feet seems to be best suited the conditions set by the average vehicle and street dimensions. In ore der that drivers may swing around the curve at fair speed, and be free of wor- ry about chafing the curb, it would secm worthwhile to have smooth: iron sur-| faces attached to the face of the cutb. | Thig idea has been well tried out. | Safety zones keep vehicles to | restricted channels when passing over intersections, Drivers can reasonably | be expected to avold “meandering.” ! passing other vehicles or making right or left turns in an irrcgular manner. Loss of life by children running into the street is due, in the opinion of the | writer, to the example set bv the! parents and other adults, who, for rea- sons of convenlence or necessity. cross the street between intersections. A small child learns chiefly by imitation, and in order to convinee children that the streets are “taboo™ it will be neces- sary for adults to set the example by entering the highway only at street in- terseetions. These street intersections must. therefore, be made so safe that | adults will feel repaid for walking to | the intersections. The situation now | existing is that most people instinctive- 1y avoid intersections. excepting certain | downtown intersections. as less desir-| able places to cross. The safety inter- section is undoubtedly the answer lo‘ the child ayto victim problem | Standardization uniform arrangement and dimensions | would be a most important aid in re- | ducing accident. In any city. each in- | tersection is, in a way. a problem to b2 | solved by every one using it, and each | intersection a different problem. If | intersections are made to have a uni-| form aspect, especially with respect to | the vehicle driver approaching them. | there will be greater tendency toward | uniformity in driving and a reduction | of aceident possibility. AUTO SHOW AT FREDERICK Special Dispatch to The Star FREDERICK, Md., March 3-—The twelfth annual automobile show will open here Tuesday night, in the State Armory, and continue until next Sat- urday. Every foot of exhibit space has been sold. Only local automobile and momkr cycle dealers will show their stocl The shows are held each year under the auspices of the three local National ; Guard units. Special music will be | provided throughout the week and at- tractive decorations and lighting effects have been arranged. Maryland Highway Detours. | ‘There will be no detours on any sec- | tion of the Maryland State Highway until further notice, accerding to an officlal bulletin issued yesterday by John N. Mackall, chairman of the| State Roads Commissio | * thing in its fi pletely as did of surprisingl capabilities, t special genius casil In traffic, it w Va Va Va va . . of Intersnctions to | ¢ four years ago. 75 horsepower from an engine cision manufacturing. 72 miles and more an hour—now made still more smoothly, more because of the counter- weighted 7-bearing crankshaft. a way that out-Chryslers even D. C., MARCH 4, 1928—PART Washington Leads Most World Capitals In Cheap Gasoline, Including Tax 2 Honduras. Tezu Hunzars. Budape india. Calentta Hv-m Bazdad The National Capital. counting its 2- (I leads the capitals and | (o ! \:uhl l[|\ na P 5 cent tax levy, cading cities of the world in low-price 0 Seonl .. v, I Rin retall gasoline with the exception of | bin Canada, according to figures, per gallon, | I Just released by the Burcan of Foreign and Domestic Commerce of the Depart- | | Rumain i ment of Commerce. Gasoline sold las week at 21 cents, Including tax. The world's es for gasoline, shown in United Stawes cents, per gallon, are as follow Loanda Addeni - s Aire Belaium Belzin Boliia. L Ithitish British South 3 Britieh Sonth Bulcaria, Sofiy g Ran 1. To Covion_ Co 0 ‘ t Hankow China. Peking .. Automobile Engineers Give Timely Heed to Motorist. Call ,Carl, Inc, American Automol-ile Association Official Service Station, says: “No experiments for us.” We are back of Ebonite, because we are taking no chance comes to correct gear lubrication. We know Ebonite for its fine quality and performance. We have used it exclusively for the past eight years. Ask for Ebonite-T for Transmissions, and Ebonite-R for Rear Axles. EBONITE (Combination of Pure O!) 20 Cents a Shot At Filling Stations and Garages. BAYERSON OIL WORKS Columbia 5228 > when it | Mo Nether W Finiand wlneive of neineial taxes G [ 2 B ,-" o / ! [ret1on N I TN L I, HAITF AT A BITE ‘dual ..éarbu"r'étio,n ~ dual manifold RN OE RGN DI NZ 2 2RI BN LG I F) WARRINGTON MOTOR CAR CO. Since 1912 Potomac 324 S OO 2 AV @z b/ 7Y & 1712 Connecticut Ave. * > - . There isno Performance /ik obsoleting every- eld today as com- the first Chrysler smallsize for such hrough Chrysler’s in design and pre- hisks to the fore in Chrysler. Mountain grades liter- ally melt before it. g to take full advantage o gas, giving 129 greater speed, power and hill-clim h. p. Imperial “80," alse for other body txpes, of ¢ seat), $1595; Four-passen, $1795, to extend cthe coneenience H. B. 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