Evening Star Newspaper, April 6, 1930, Page 62

6 SUPERROAD NEED IS HELD DISTANT Careful Survey Is Urged Be- fore Rushing Into Promis- -cuous Building Program. Proraiscuous building of superhigh- ways is shown to be ill-advised in a symmary of traffic statistics dealing with highway planning by the Amer- ican Road Builders' Association. Instead, the associaticn finds need of greater activity over the entire net- work of the Nation's roads, with all con- struction preceded by a careful survey of ‘the present traffic facilities and its future requirements. :Regional planning is urged for all centers of traffic density. Such plan- ning would indicate whether present roadways should be reconstructed to great width, or whether the construc- tion of more arterial highways over new routes would be most advisable. Over the majority of State and coun- ty highway mileage, a two-lane surface, of 20-ft. width, is thought to offer ade- quate provision for traffic of the next 10 or 15 years. A right of way of 100 feet is favored and this would permit of eventual widening of the traveled! way. Present System Held Adequate. ‘The summary was from a Na- tion-wide survey of and metro- politan traffic areas, traffic origins and concentration, roadway widths and rights of way and light and heavy ve- hicle traffic. It was found that the necessity does hot exist at the present time for the construction of systems of wide high- ways throughout the country. Except in comparatively small areas, such vol- umes of traffic do not now exist and will not during the next 15 or 20 years, at_least. In a State as a whole there is no hecessity, therefore, of planning an ulti- mate right of way in excess of 100 feet or a roadway surface width in excess ©of 40 feet whether a single or dual strip pavement is involved. On the great majority o fthe mileage, for a long period of years, even these widths will not be required. ‘This statement is based on the exist- ing traffic and predicted future traffic on the State and county highways of Wisconsin, the northeastern section of Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The highways in these areas form a cross section of the highway and traffic conditions in all States. Four years ago in Ohio there were approximately 11,000 miles in the State highway system of which only 131 miles were carrying more than 2,500 vehicles per day. including passenger cars, motor trucks and motor busses. ‘The same relative conditions are found in other areas. The proportionate mileage carrying a volume of traffic requiring extraordi- made rural nary pavement widths and design is limited to comparatively small areas, around the larger cities. If the traffic trends based upon the last 12 years are any indication of fu- ture growth, it can be safely said that on the bulk of the State and county highway mileage during the next 10 or.} 15 years construction can be largely confined to the provision of two-lane surfaces. . 10-Foot Lane Is Standard. A two-lane surface, 20 feet wide, will carry 8,000 vehicles a day at a speed of 30 miles an hour. These figures take into consideration the normal amount of motor truck and motor bus traffic and are based upon actual research studies dealing with trafic volume, traffic speed, and pavement width. Pavement widths are thought of in terms of traffic lanes with general agreement on the 10-foot lane as stand- ard. Odd numbers of lanes are falling into disfavor. Reasonable standards of width of lrlghu of way are considered as fol- jows: Local roads, two lanes for traffic, plus parking. 66 to 86 feet; primary and secondary trunk lines in well settled communities, four lanes, plus parking, 100 feet; primary highways, six lanes, plus parking, 120 feet: superhighways with provision for high-speed motor traffic separated from local traffic, 10 lanes and four parking strips, 200 feet; special snow-belt trunk highways, two lanes, with provision * for permanent snow fence and protective planting within the right of way, 150 feet to 300 feet. NEW BRUNSWICK CURBS USE OF CARS IN SPRING Restriction Is Placed on Speed and Weight of Autos in Province. Growth of the use of automobiles for business purposes in New Brunswick and the demand for uninterrupted use of the motor roads of the Canadian Province has resulted in an order be- ing issued by D. A. Stewart, minister of public works, whereby, instead of the roads being closed to motor vehicle traffic this Spring, certain definite re- strictions will be in force during the period the frost is coming out of the ground. & Replacing the complete ban on motor vehicle traffic during the early Spring season, a speed limit of 20 miles hour will be definitely enforced during this period, and traffic will be restrict to passenger vehicles of a registered weight not exceeding 3,200 pounds and to commercial vehicles and trucks of a gross combined weight of vehicle and load not exceeding 3,500 pounds. Heavier vehicles will not be permitted to be op- erated on the provincial highways dur- ing the time the restrictions are in force, but these restrictions will be lifted as soon as weather and road conditions make this advisable in the opinion of the engineers. Motor vehicles which do not come within the scope of the per- mission granted by the order will be re- fused admission to the province durin1 the restricted period at interprovincial and international boundary- points. PHOTOS NOW ARE USED IN TRAFFIC LAW TRIALS Bnaps Made of Skidding Marks and Pictures Used at Hearing for Reckless Drivers. hotographs are now playing an im- runp untg:le in the conviction of reck- jess drivers, and court records are re- plete with instances where defendants ‘were unable to combat this telling evi- dence, - u',o the American Au- ‘tomobile Association. The A. A. A. says an instance of this s reported from an Eastern State where the witnessee in the case were the two drivers, one claiming that the defendant had not sto) and the latter emphat- Scally asse: that he had. t this juncture, says the national the offi ""5&'?3»«";‘-’:': guilty,” said the judge. Anyway, It's a Blowout. 1If you have an old tire that you want its last it on - tire 18 \ THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., APRIL 6, 1930—PART AMERICAN HISTORY BY MOTOR— GLASS CUT HAZARD WILL BE REDUCED A. A. A, Head Predicts Uni- versal Use of Non-Shat- tering Windshields. Pointing out that flying glass is one of the most prolific causes of motor injuries, Thomas P. Henry, president of the A. A. A, predicts the universal use of non-scattering glass in automobiles, busses, trucks and other forms of mobile transportation. “In my judgment,” said the A. A. A. executive, “the advent of non-scattering glass is the biggest single contribution to safety in recent years. iminate entirely the injuries due to flying glass and you will reduce the injury toll at least 50 per cent.” Lauds Pioneer Builders. Henry paid a warm tribute to the manufacturers who ploneered the move- ment to make American cars safer ve- hicles to ride in. He said: “The fact that more cars are coming out every year with non-scattering glass as part of their standard equipment, while an additional number offer it as special equipment, indicates that the leading manufacturers are fully alive to the safety element involved. There is no doubt as to the public response, nor can there be any doubt as to the trend of the future. “The tremendous increase in the number of closed cars, together with the need for a clear vision in all di- r:cuom. huwml;ll: the pmm;m 1‘;’1‘: of even greater importance. In only 10.3 per cent of the cars built were of a closed type, while in 1928 the number had jumped to 88.5 per cent. At the present; time it is safe to say that more tgln 90 per cent of the automo- when: built are entirely surrounded by glass. “Repeated surveys have been made to ascertain the part flying glass plays in injuries. One of these, covering 26 States, developed that 65 per cent were attributable to glass. In this particu- lar instance, the conclusion reached was that If non-scattering glass was in general use, the number of persons in- jured each year in motor accidents would be reduced by some 350,000. It is safe to say that on the basis of this and other surveys, fully one-half of the injuries from automobile accidents are due to flying glass. Safety Field Challenges Country. “The entire field of safety is one that challenges the best thought of the coun- try. With the congestion on the high- ways and road-builders being hed by the car builders, we must take ad- vantage to the limit of every safety device that engineering science can de- wvelop. Now that non-scattering glass is available in quantity and at reasonable cost, its general adoption is likely to follow the course of other car improve- ments, such as four-wheel brakes, shock absorbers, air cleaners, oil filters and many other features now in gen- eral use.” U. S. AUTOS IN LEAD. HONGKONG (P .—Even in Hong- kong, where the foreign population is | ti principally British, American-made au- biles lead the field. Figures released by the colonial gov- f’;",‘i"{‘,fi, sh':; u:_n!tdhm is & . T ivately owned passenger motor cars in the colony, of which 791 are American makes. “There are 427 Brit- | sum) ish-made machines, 77 Italian, 9 German and 1 Belgian car. of | hicles, so that the el (L LI Costs to Tourists In Cuba on Level With Tobacco Crop Expenditures of tourists in Cuba, amounting to $25,000,000 annually, are on a par with the Cuban tobacco in- dustry, and are exceeded only by the value of the sugar crop, with two-thirds of the visitors from the United States, according to the foreign travel division of the American Automobile Association. The A. A. A. international travel agency said that the regulation en- abling tourists to take automobiles into Cuba for a period of 90 days without the payment of duty has done much to encourage American travel. To this might be added the fact that motorists may also drive their cars in Cube with- out obtaining municipal licenses. SPEED-UP FORESEEN IN HIGHWAY BUILDING Work Hastened by Federal Appro- priation Authorized by Congress Is A A A Prediction. Highway construction throughout the country will be speeded-up to the ex- tent of $100,000,000 a year under a bill increasing Federal aid appropriations from $75,000,000 to $125,000,000 an- nually, passed by Congress and sent to President Hoover for approval, accord- ing to the American Automobile Asso- ciation, The netional motoring body pointed out that while the increase is only $50,000,000 annually, this amount must be matched, dollar for dollar, by the States, and number have held up their highway programs anticipating this added Federal assistance. The measure represents & gmpromhe between the Senate and the House with regard to a provision limiting the per mile expenditure of Federal funds. At present the limitation is $15,000 per mile, and under this new legislation the amount may be raised to $25,000 in States where the 7 per cent system has been completed. Connecticut, Rhode Isiand, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts and New York are among the States now eligible to receive the $25,000 per mile, enabling the building of higher type roads, ihe association declares. “Although this important legislation has been held up in Congress since January,” says the statement, ‘President Hoover's interest in the speeding-up of construction indicates that it will be speedily approved at the White House. Moreover, administration leaders have already acclaimed this measure as one of the accomplishments of the Presi- dent’s first year in office. HUNGARY’S AUTO RECORD. 883 Motor Vehicles, Including 62 Trucks, 189 Busses, Is 1929 Output. A total of 883 motor vehicles, includ- ing 381 cars, 62 trucks, 189 busses and 251 motor cycles, were manufactured in Hunfl in 1929, according to advices reeeu?by the automotive division of the Department of Commerce from As- sistant Trade Commissioner Walter M. Slavik at Budapest. Output during 1928 numbered 873 ve- increase during 1929 was slight; however, production last year amounted to 147, per cent of con- Awillfu.l beauty who once and down these ps gta&c curl mfl’ love letters of an ardent swain, so the legends say, and took pains to = drank tea a HUMAN BODY USED INTEST OF AUTOS Muscular and Nervous Fa- tigue Registered by Passen- gers Aids Scientists. By the Associated Press. ‘The human body is being used to gfiun the riding qualities of automo- es. Muscular and nervous fatigue of passengers, stored in their es by jolts and vibrations of cars in long rides and translated into graphic charts by instruments, are giving scientists the first real index to relative automobile comfort. Dr. Fred A. Moss, George Washing- ton University psychologist, heads re- search of the Soclety of Automotive Engineers, which aims ultimately to provide for automobile manufacturers a standard test to measure the effects of shock absorbers, springs, cushions and other aids to comfort. Students Aid in Tests. College students and taxi drivers are the laboratory material. Their main job is to get tired and to submit to tests which measure their fatigue. Developed to measure body sway. known to be a mark of nervous fatigue, sensitive “wabblemeters” chart the ef- forts of a subject to balance on a tiny platform. A perfect score is a straight line. e is reflected in exaggerated wiggles of two pens which mark every motion and, though indirectly, record the behavior of a car over a rough road, Now students will be taken for rides in cars fitted with an accelerometer, a device which registers the sum total of the bumps on a ride by the amount of generated in a tube. The jolts as shown by the instriment wil] checked back on thelr effect in making the passengers tired. Brother Conducts Tests. Dr. Moss, while supervising the work, has turned over the actual operations to his brother, Ralph Moss, who will carry the tests through to completion. ‘When tests have been developed the scientists hope to have measurements which eventually can be made available to test 'k automobiles for riding qualities. CANADA TRAFFIC ROADS TOTAL 400,000 MILES 83 Per Cent of the Finished High- ways Are Classed as “Dirt Roads.” Canada has approximately 400,000 miles of highway open for traffic, with around 83 per cent earth roads and the remainder gravel and hard-surfaced, according to the American Automobile Association. ‘The A. A. A. pointed out that 40 per cent of all Canadian highways were in Saskatchewan, 17 per cent in Ontario and 8 per cent in Quebec, with the re- maining 35 per cent distributed among the other provinces. “Under the stimulus of heavy motor travel from the United States, which has been reflected in the general pros- mty of the Dominion,” says the na- al motoring body, “road building has come to the forefront in Canada. “It is estimated that $38,912,029 was nt for the construction of roads in ption, or estimated sales, as - with only 12 per cent the year {5! and $18,063,381 was expended for maintenance.” FOUR. —BY JAMES W. BROOKS. (Sketches by Calvin A. Fader.) ———— rate the branches thered to celel nder its 1&&1 Segrave Is Fined Tenth Time for Fast Driving LONDON (#).—Sir Henry Segrave, holder of the world motor car speed record, just can't keep his feet off the old accelerator. He has just been fined another £5 for speeding through Hampstead at 45 miles an hour. “Is anything known against him?" asked the judge. “He has never appeared at this court before,” was the answer, “but there are nine previous convictions for speeding against him, spread over a number of years.” GERMAN TOURING CLUB PLANS FOR CELEBRATION Throng of Autoists to Mark Lib- eration of Home Soil From Allied Troops. By the Associated Press. MAYENCE, Germany—The largest aggregation of automobiles ever assem- bled in Germany is expected here about July 7, when a huge popular demon- stration is to celebrate the liberation of German soil from allied troops. ‘The German Touring Club has issued an appeal to lovers of tne automobile sport to make Mayence their objective during eight days following final evac- uation of the occupied territory. Every automobilist who arrives be- tween the time the last French flag is hauled down in the Rhineland and that of the gigantic Mayence demonstration ‘will be presented with an artistic bronze plaquette as a momento. Motor Showroom 1401 14th St. N.W, BAILEY MOTOR CO. Mt. Rainier, Md. J. L. JERMAN 3342 M Street N.W. P Giazen Hator Co. by o o e e b T e i et e tnemme | storied tree remaing to mark places of ic imr?@fle& g:h St. f;hhf“sA o ; , drums assem! riots of Annapolis as fi IZevoluflmm?)‘Wa\' ,and here ful tidings fashington. and Lafayette rested in its cooling shade. R B 52 B o Cam the people of peace . Greene Gazette. It laboured in a era too, for in. one of his editions in 1751 notice to or face the judge tf building Jonas — mmfi‘)fi?fi"m appears onas law enforcement may be found a warni a%mdchumofi“s‘uu:é on Monday. HAND SIGNAL IS HELD BEST HIGHWAY GUIDE Auto Dealer Believes It Excels All Other Devices as Safety Factor in Motoring. Recognizing the essive _steps taken 1 ail forms of frafhc contral and in mechanical signaling devices of vari- ous kinds, Oscar Coolican, local auto- mobile dealer, calls attention to the fact that all authorities are agreed that nothing yet has been invented or insti- tuted which takes the place of the mo- torist's hand signal. “The giving of adequate signals by hand still is an essential function of any driver who is to be termed a care- | ful one” Mr. Coolican says. “Great | forward strides have been taken, admit- | tedly, in methods of traffic control, in | safety and signaling devices, but there |15 no question in the minds of all au- thorities on traffic that the hand signal remains a vital part of the driver’s code. “Failure to give adequate signals is declared by virtually all well informed observe:s of traffic to be one of the pri- mary causes for traffic delay and acci- dents. Unless the driver makes clear to other motorists on the street and high- | way precisely what his next move is to | be, trouble of one form or another is I bound to ensue. “As indicated, that trouble can take two forms. | result in a fatal accident or an accident jof serious proportions. On the other | hand, it is almost bound to bring about a condition of congestion, not only in that immediate spot, but, in the case of crowded thoroughfares, perhaps blocks to the rear of the offending driver. “‘The automobile is a mode of individ- ual transportation. compelling appeal. Being individual- It can, in extreme cases, | head crossing with practically a 45- | ‘That is its great, or unloading children. according to the Istic, it demands individual attention. ' American Automobile Association. Each driver, to be specific, must realize that he personally is responsible for the safe an efficient movement of the traffic stream. It is his signals that other drivers are waiting for, and unless they get them all cannot go well. “Every motorist will do well to re- member that instead of being obsolete the hand signal is of greater importance | today than ever before.” | | NIGHT DRIVING PROMOTED | BY LIGHTS ON HIGHWAYS A. A. A. Officials Cite Promotion of Safety as Prompting Motor- ists to Adopt Experiment. Highway {llumination has been found to promote safety and encourage night driving in an experiment along the Mo- hawk Valley turnpike in the State of New York, according to the American | Automobile Association, The A. A. A. points out that the Schenectady Automobile Club, and affil- fated unit, which sponsored the experi- ment in highway lighting, says: ! “So successful has this strip of light- ing proved that 21 miles of additional llumination will be installed within the next year. The original demonstration of lighting was made on a portion of the highway where a number of road menaces were encountered, including curves, a hill, a right-angle traffic ar- tery, a dark road surface and an over- degree rise and a right-angle bend at each approach to the bridge.” Motorists in Ohio Warned. Motorists entering Ohio should be careful to obey the law requiring car owners to stop for a school bus loading District of Columbia Division of the COURT UPHOLDS - POLICY HOLDER Rules Motorist Is Entitled to Protection, Although He Violates Traffic Laws. Notwithstanding his violation of traffic laws, contrary to the terms of his insurance policy, a motorist is never- theless entitled to be protected under his policy, according to a decision just rendered by the Supreme Court of Mich- igan, and reported by the American Motorists’ Association. In the case decided by the Michigan Supreme Court the motorist's insurance policy contained this provision: “There shall be no liability under the terms of this policy unless the driver shall com- ply with the State and municipal laws.” ‘The motorist was involved in an acci= dent, was sued, and the insurance com- pany denied liability under the policy, alleging and proving at the trial that the motorist was exceeding the speed limit and was driving on the wrong side of the street. The lower court sustained the con- tention of the insurance company, and ruled that the provision, being in the policy, was binding on the motorist. The case was appealed. The Supreme Court reversed the decision, pointing out the difficulties of a motorist operat- ing his car without some violation of the multitude of rules and regulations enacted by municipal ordinances. To hold that every violation of the law would void a motorist's policy and thus relieve the insurance companies of lia- bility, the court declared, would be untenable. “It may well be doubted whether an instance of negligent injury can be im- agined in the operation of a motor vehicle on a highway which does not involve a violation of the law,” the court declared. “To sustain the insur- ance company's contention that it is relieved of liability because of an in- fraction of some municipal ordinance would mean that the whole public lia= bility phase of insurance policies be- comes practically a sham and the col- lection of premiums therefor a virtual fraud on the motoring public.” The decision, it i§ pointed out by Thomas J. Keefe, general manager of the A. M. A, is of importance to every motor car owner, because of the fact that many automobile insurance poli- cies contain like provisions. Towa Has Big Road Program. President Hoover's home State of Iowa plans to spend $33.000000 for highway contruction during 1930, ac- cording to the District of Columbia Automobile Association. A Scotch Motorist. The first time a Scotchman used free air in a gas station he blew out four tires—From the Wheel. Battery & Ignition Service Exide Batteries CREEL BROTHERS 1811 14th St. N.W. of Bran New Series'A” ONTIAC BIG SIXES %70 AT Decatur 4220 YOUR /DOOR .. FULLY EQUIPFED brand new Series ““A” Pontiac Big Six in our stock is going—two-door sedans and coupes at the amazing price quoted abové—other body types at figures as drastically low. All equipped with spare tire and rim, front and rear bumpers, spring covers and Lovejoy Hydraulic Shock Absorbers. Deliv- ered at your door with nothing more to pay. Come in now. Don’t miss'such a bargain by waiting until it is too late! GENEROUS ALLOWANCE FOR YOUR OLD CAR BALANCE ON EASY TERMS Decatur 4800 L. P. STEUART, Inc. 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