Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-03-02 | Page 9 | Mayor Hopes to Select Traffic Engineer Soon

Mayor Hopes to Select Traffic Engineer Soon City Calls for Bids on 4 New Radio Cars, Each With Equipment as Ambulance By BOB HALE Final action on the problem of naming a full-time traffic engineer is hoped for next week. Mayor Ab Jenkini said Saturday. Meanwhile, the mayor said that bids are being called for on four new radio cars equipped aa ambu-' ambu-' lances and that as soon as possible the police radio station, KGPW, will be placed on a 24-hour achedule. ' It now operates 16 hours a day, from 2 p. m. to 6 a. m. Mayor Jenkins reiterated assertions asser-tions that he will ask for more than the 81000 offered by fellow commissioners to pay a traffic engineer en-gineer for the rest of the year. He said he will ask for at least 32000 or 32250 or assignment of a member of the city engineering department as traffic engineer. In the event of the 'latter, he will draw on his own budget to help meet the cost of replacing such an employe, he added. New Ambulance Oars "We are asking for bids for four new ambulance cars with two-way radios and expect to order the cars next week, turning In four of the machines now being used," the mayor aaid. The ambulance-radio cars will have white panels along each side of the body, a red light above the windshield and the words "Salt Lake City police" on the back and each side, he said. The mayor said that besides the four new ambulance cars, he plans to equip other radio vehicles with convertible ambulance equipment so the city will have at least 10 mschlnes available as ambulances. The police ambulances will replace private ambulance service, Msyor Jenkins saying he did not plan to renew a present contract, expiring in April, with the Salt Lake Transportation Trans-portation company for ambulance service. For All Uses The ambulance radio machines will be used la all types of police - work, as the present radio cars ars used, he sajd. He said that with ambulance cars cruising with two-way radios, they can be dispatched dis-patched Immediately to an acd- dent scene. All radio cars, aa well as traffic patrol cars, will be equipped with red lights above the windshield, the mayor aaid. He explained that a motorist, driving on a lonely street at night. Is reluctant to atop for a police automobile unless the machine Is Identified and that a driver In such circumstances probably would be Justified la trying to run away from a police car If It were aot identified.