CARS IN COLUMBIA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 2 July 1927, Page 14

CARS IN COLUMBIA.

ONE FOR THREE PERSONS

ACUTE THAI FIC PROBLEM. One car to every three persons! That is the amazing claim made for the State of Columbia —that little patch of land measuring (originally) ten miles by ten, where no one votes and wherein is built America's beautiful capital city of Washington. Three persons to every one car (writes a correspondent of the “Motor.”) There is no way adequately to describe the feeling of amazement with which one first sees car after car parked one behind the other before house after house and down street after street. Here and there will be a break in the long lines to allow the regulation distance from a fire-plug to be observed, or to allow the streets to intersect, or to make way for a private entrance for vehicles. The regulations as to parking are very strict, and every vehicle must be parked facing in the direction in which it would normally be travelling—you will not see two parked cars facing one another in America. In the one-way streets traffic may sometimes park on both sides, but it must tbeu all point in the one direction. One would think that with such a crush of traffic, driving would be an absolute impossibility. Not- so, American traffic control is .such that the difficulties are considerably smoothed out.

The police are supplemented with such contrivances as automatic signals, one-way streets, all one-way squares, and so forth, all of which contribute to traffic efficiency.

Speaking of traffic control, each town employs various methods, although the came general tendency is noticeable in ail. In New York Lire* main "tiaoroughfares like Fifth Avenue are installed with towers in the middle of the street, and situated at intervals of every five or six blocks. These towers are litted with red and green lights, and the traffic “cops” luxe tneir cue from them. When no policeman is on duty the traffic in tJie streets (which run at right angles to the avenues), taxes its cue trom the traffic in the avenues.

Outside of New York many methods axe used, ror example, in Washington there is hast of ail tue plain policeman with his whistle and his white gloves.

Then there is the same gentleman armed with a long pole fitted into a revolving base, and on top of which is a sign having tne words “Go” ami ‘"otop printed on it in approiiriuce colours. At night time this arrangement is supplemented oy a lamp ntted with eo.oured lenses, which is iixed oil top of the pole. There are several variations of the coloured light scheme, the most interesting of winch is the three-colour system as used in Washington. This system, works without the direct co-oper-ation of the traffic police, and it works remarkably weii. The Mights are as follows: Red for stop, yellow for caution, green for go. The yellow light is switched on for about five seconds between each change from red to green and vice versa, so that the oncoming driver may have time to pull up if he sees he cannot get across before the waiting cross-traffic is given the ‘goahead.” On the other hand, the stationary cl liver ha s time to engage the first speed ready for a smart get-away. In most States drivers muist pass a driving test. In New York the test is so stiff that f understand you axe disqualified if you do not “change down” to take a corner.

Driving in the (J.S.A. proved to be not merelv interesting, but exciting. The negroes, for instance, are not on the whole famed for their careful driving. They rush out of side streets and make you stop if you wish to avoid a collision.

Yes. , Motoring in the United States is certainty less of a drawing-room affair than it is in England. Take, for example, the übiquitous level crossings ; you suddenly come upon a crossed sign bearing the well-known words, “stop, Look, Listen.” The engines generally sound their bells when approaching the crossings, but the casualty lists reveal the fact that many a rash, motorist fails to “Look,” and ' ‘Listenand in consequence ‘Stops” for ever. At. night to drive a car along a main pike is something like driving a railroaxl train; the main roads are doted with a 1 sorts of warning signs. Intermittent red flashes draw the attention of the driver to a Irge sign which may present the warning letters ‘‘R.E.” (meaning railroad) or the caution “Curve,” “Cross Roads,” and so on.

The rule of th.e road in America is that traffic runs on the right side ot the street. The traffic coming in on the driver's right must always be given right of way. whereas traffic coming in from the left must await hi® pleasure. In the American capital, however, this rule is varied in the case, of what are known as the boulevards. In these boulevards the traffic is given the full right of way at all times, and all streets ’ending into them have a .large circular red “Stop” sign at the point of intersection. All incoming drivers must stop and engage tow speed, and may proceed to cross the boulevard only when they see the way is clear to them to do iso. These boulevards provide extremely valuable arteries for long-dis-tance traffic to reach an out-of-town destination from the Heart of the city in a minimum of time. “COUP,TESY WEEK.” During the Cleveland Automobile Show the association promoted a “motor courtesy week.” in which newspapers urged the public to be more courteous and careful (says the American “Motor”). The surprising result was ai decrease of To per cent from last year’s accident record, and out of 18 accidents this year, only three were serious and there was not one fatality. Newspapers have been free in their comment that the reduction in accidents certainly was not «n accident all of which brings us back to the thought that a large part of the solution of the 1 accident problem lies through an appeal to Die individual driver. lie can eliminate many accidents if he wants to. His sense of responsibility is more effective than any law.