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Show MOTOR SPEED liji CITY Councilman McKinncy Notes and Answers Criticisms of the New Ordinance. SPEED FIXED BY LAW; ORDINANCE MUST CONFORM Suggestions for the Betterment of the Proposed Ordinance Are Invited. Editor Tribune: In your Isbuc of Sunday, Sun-day, July 24, 19.10, in the first column on tho 20th page, appear criticisms of a cltlr.cn interested in tho proper regulation of street traffic, said criticisms being directed to the proposed automobile ordlnanco or-dlnanco upon which the committee of the whole of the city council finished Its labors last Thursday night, and which will probably come before the city council coun-cil for passage Tuesday night in case it can be reached. Tho gentleman making the criticisms nrst, says'. "No provision is made In the new ordinance for tho limitation of speed within the city limits, and especially espe-cially within the business district." Evidently Evi-dently tho citizen is laboring under a mlsapprchenston. as subdivisions .1, 2 and 3 of section 30, provldo for speed regulations. True, these speed regulations regula-tions may not bo all that w may desire, de-sire, but no other speed rcgulatlns can bo prescribed for the reason that the statute regulating the speed of motor vehicles, passed at the last session of tho legislature, forbids the prescribing of a lower rate of speed than Is therein provided; pro-vided; so that the state law handicaps the city so far as the question of speed Is concerned; and in order to prevent a conflict wllh the statulc. tho proposed ordlnanco adopts its provisions as to spcud, and If any criticisms of tho rato of speed prescribed can bo justly made, then they should be mado against tho statute and not against the proposed ordinance; or-dinance; and the next session of tho legislature leg-islature should so amend or modify tho existing statute that tho city will not be hampered In the regulation of traffic in Its streets. In this connection, it may he added that the statute also forbids tho city to require a license from auto-mobilists auto-mobilists or to require the registering of automobiles, tho statute Itself requiring a license to be paid to the stato and also requiring tho registering of automobiles. It will be observed that In tho eloyoly built up parts of the city, the speed is limited to one mile in six minutes, and elsewhero In tho city the speed Is limited lim-ited to one mile in four minutes. These provisions harmonize with tho statute, being identically tho same. Tho ordlnanco also provides that In approaching a crossing cross-ing of Inlersoctlng streets the speod shall bo not greater than six miles an hour. This Is also the samo as the statute. Whon the legislature enacted the motor vehicle statute it doubtless had In mind tho desirability of having a law which would operato uniformly throughout all the cities, towns and vll-laegs vll-laegs of the stato, and that Is a good thing, but the law should be so changed or amended as to effect its objoct without with-out handicapping tho cities of tho stato In their efforts to make local laws for the regulation of traffic In their streets. At Intersections. Another criticism Is. that no provision is made for the regulation of traffic at the intersections of, the busiest thoroughfares thor-oughfares In tho city. This Is an error. Careful reading of tho proposed ordlnanco will disclose that it contains numerous provisions for the regulation of street traffic, to say nothing of tho numerous provisions contained In other ordinances already enacted. There can be no contention on tho point that "twenty, thirty and forty mllos an hour Is too high a speed for any vehicle to pass along tho streets of Salt Lake City." It Is admitted. Such speed In the thickly settled and business portions por-tions of the city Is positively criminal and should subject tho offender to tho severest punishment. But the proposed ordinance places the maximum speed at fifteen miles an hour, at ten miles nn hour in the built up portion, and to six miles an hour at crossings. This Is tho best the city can do, because, as before stated, tho statute forbids the city prc-crlblng prc-crlblng a lower rate of speed. When the citizen speaks of the importance import-ance of tho enforcomcnt of the law, ho strikes a vital cord. It is usoless to make salutary laws if Ihoy are not to be enforced. en-forced. The city has enacted many wholesome ordinances, but thero is a conspicuous failure to enforce t'lem. A striking example Is tho bicycle ordinance. It Is probablo that thousands of persons ride their wheels on the sidewalks every day, and only once in a while '.s an arrest ar-rest made, and then tho offender seldom sel-dom receives more than a nominal fine. And these violators arc so impudent that they often come up behind persons walking walk-ing along the 'sidewalks and shout or whistle for them to got off and gtvo them the right of way, and If the Irate citizen says anything to them concerning concern-ing their violation, he Is often further offended of-fended by Insulting language. Tbe failure fail-ure to enforce the law creates a dlsro-spect dlsro-spect for It. The failure to enforce some of the ordinances may bo duo to the Inadequacy In-adequacy of tho police force. If thjs bo true, then the force should be Increased. Tho lives, limbs and property of tho people should not bo Jeopardized for laclc of a sufficient number of patrolmen, It ceems to me that there should bo a sufficient numbor of officers scattered through the residence sections to give reasonable protection. Oarofully Framed. Much labor has been bestowed upon tho proposed ordinance, and a careful comparison com-parison of It with the ordinances in force in other cities will disclose the fact thav It Is superior to many, and It Is doubtful doubt-ful if It Is Inferior to any. Of course It will no doubt bo found Imperfect, but when experience discloses Its Imperfections Imper-fections they can be cured by amendment. amend-ment. If the legislature will remove some of the restrictions contained in the statulc, tho ordinance can be much improved. im-proved. The city ought to havo the power to keep tho maximum speed as low for motor vehicles as It d. es for street cars, namely, twelve miles an hour; becauso thercj Is more reason for making mak-ing the maximum speed of motor vehicles, ve-hicles, such a8 automobiles, twelve miles an hour, than thero is for thus limiting street, cars. The street cars are confined to a track, while the automobile- Is not, and for that reason It Is more dangerous. danger-ous. In the preparation of the proposed ordinance, or-dinance, the ordinances of various cities, among them Portland, I.os Angeles, Lexington Lex-ington and Galveston, were carefully studied and the best parts and those parts applicable to conditions here were adppted. The state law was also carefully care-fully studied with a view of avoiding conflict with It and of adopting all of lis provisions desirable The city attorney, attor-ney, the chief of police, members of the council and others havo devoted much time and attention In tho preparation of the ordinance Tho matter has been under un-der consideration for a long time. Last year Judge O. W Powers devoted considerable con-siderable tlmo lo tho preparation of a traffic ordinance on behalf of the Automobile Au-tomobile club, and many of tho excellent excel-lent provisions of that aro embodied In the proposed ordinance. Suggestions Invited. In dealing with matters of such Importance Im-portance as tho proposed ordinance, It occurs to mn that It would bo a good Idea If every citizen who hns a suggestion sugges-tion to make would reduce tbe same to writing and mall It or hand It to the city recorder to he officially referred loi tho chairman of the committee preparing the ordinance. It would he of groat assistance as-sistance to the people's servants, as in that waj they would havo ho benefit of tho combined wisdom and knowledge of the community. Too often tho people wait until a thing has been dono by-fore by-fore offering their suggestions, and then they criticise. In a municipality like Palt Lalco City, every citizen should take a personal Interest In the affairs of goA'ernment and In the enactment of laws. It Is not only their right lo petition, peti-tion, but It Is their duty. The nearer tho people drift to goA'ernment, the closer they coma In touch with it, tho better government thoy will haAre. Thc farther they drift from It, the poorer government govern-ment they Avill have. While It Is the bounden duly of those to whom the people have committed tho conduct of their affairs, to perform that duty faithfully faith-fully and honestly and courageously. It Is also tbe duty of tho people to Inform themselves In civil, political and governmental gov-ernmental affairs and to speak out promptly and fearlessly concerning any matter Avhlch they desire their representatives represen-tatives to have their views or suggestions sugges-tions regarding. In that way, many mls-J takes will be avoided, and a more enlightened en-lightened and intelligent citizenship will bu created. Concerning tho enforcement of the ordlnanco. or-dlnanco. It would seem to bo a good idea Cif tho present pollco force Is not sufficient) suf-ficient) to appoint ten. llfteen or twenty special policemen, upon the enactment of the ordinance, whose special duty It shall be to sco that the ordinance, and all other ordinances relating lo traffic In the streets, arc strictly enforced. Such special officers should inform themselves thoroughly on all the provisions of such ordinances. If this Is done, tho people will soon bo educated to an observance of the regulations, and many accidents will bo prevented. Such ordinances should also be published In pamphlet form, so that drivers of every vehicle may have a copy of 11 and thoroughly acquaint himself him-self with nil the provisions and regulations'. regula-tions'. J. W. UcICINNEV. |