Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-10-03 | Page 6 | Communication

1 COMMUNICATION Vehicle Ordinance. To The Salt Lake Tribune It is evident evi-dent that there is great need for tlie enactment en-actment of a new ordinance to control the movement of motor-driven vehicles upon the streets of Salt Lake. As long- as a change in to bo made we should make certain that the now regulations cover the ground fn tended. Wc may legislate untfl doomsday, but if the laws passed are not enforced the efforts are fruitless. Our police department can. to a certain extent, enforce the ordinances, but it is Impossible under present conditions to increase in-crease the force to a point where the speed maniacs can be properly deult with. It is therefore evident that a direct check must bp placed upon the drivers themselves. them-selves. Tills may be accomplished in a manner tbat should merit approval of all sale and sane motorists. tn the first place, tli ere should bo no binding1 speed limit. The motor-car driver should be permitted to run his car at a "reasonable rate of speed, the time of day and congestion con-gestion of traffic taken Into consideration." considera-tion." In other words, make the driver judre for himself whether he Is going1 at a reasonable speed. Having given htm this power, then let the ordinance further recite "that in the event of accident it-occurrence it-occurrence shall be prima facie evidence of excessive speed." The burden of proving prov-ing negligence Js usually cast, upon the plaintiff, but by reason of the trust im-! im-! posed in the motorist he must take the i consequence should an accident occur : while driving upon the efty streets. Rome people may "say that this ia not fair to the driver of a motor car. Quite the contrary: if lie is not exceeding the nor-mai nor-mai speed there will be witnesses to testify in his behalf. Nine-tenths of the drivers of this city are careful and prudent pru-dent mien. It is the other one-tenth who cause the trouble. The careful motorist needs no law to govern him. but a penalty pen-alty should be imposed upon those who disregard the rights of others. .If a man understands that he may travel as he will, but at his own risk, then he is more likely to counsel with himself and govern his speed accordingly. according-ly. Many motorists will drive slowly enough under the eye of an officer of the law, but, when that officer's back is turned, fly on at an excessive rate with a sort of exultation. They have "put one : over" the department. That the police may not be powerless, the ordinance should provide that in the i event a car is driven in excess of twenty-' twenty-' five miles per hour, that driver be arrest- ed and fined. This would not imply that i any speed up to twenty-five miles is reasonable. rea-sonable. It would imply, however, that a speed in excess of twenty-five miles is excessive. Special regulation should govern the speed of motors within the congested district. dis-trict. The former regulation to apply only in the residential sections of the city. Furthermore, the ordinance should embrace traffic regulations in the business busi-ness heart. We have traffic oolfeemen in Salt Lake, but I doubt if they know just why they are stationed in the center of the road. While we hare wider streets than most cities, yet they often become greatly congested. This condition couid be overcome quite easily by providing each officer with a whistle, or. better still, install the semaphore system. In this way east and west-bound traffic would give right of way to the north and south traffic, and vice versa. Many accidents acci-dents could be prevented. We have great need for improved traffic regulation. Salt Lake is one of the few cities of like size not so provided. With these amendments a great problem could be easily solved.