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Show Aid by State in Street Safety Lighting Studied Road Board Seeks to Learn if Gasoline Fund Can Be Thus Applied Mayor E. B. Erwin Tuesday tossed Salt Lake City" street lighting light-ing problem into laps of the state road commission, but that body, through its chairman, tossed it right back again pending word from other states. Latest denouement in the campaign cam-paign for making atreets safer for night motorists and pedeetrians, came when Mayor Erwin. presented a plan to city commissioners, calling call-ing for state participation on atreets classed as state highways. But it appeared that the road commission had anticipated just such action and nearly a week ago aent "feelers" to discover what was being done along similar lines in other states. .Pending word from other states, said W. D. Hammond, chairman of the state road commission, the commission will take no action in the matter. I. 8. Aid Waited Mr. Hammond aaid the question would depend on whether or not federal highway aid funds could be ued for lighting or strictly for surface road improvements. These developments followed a demand from the board of governors of the chamber of commerce that immediate steps be taken to safely Illuminate the city's streets, particularly par-ticularly arterial highwaya and especially es-pecially those on the west side where 13 of the year's traffic fatalities have occurred. Mayor Erwin. In a letter to the city commieaion, concentrated on Second West street. His letter was referred to the departments of public pub-lic safety and streets. It read in part: "In my opinion aa auch, (being a atate highway), the street should be maintained by the atate. I recommend that state officiate be consulted with the view to having adequate lighting facilities installed at the earliest possible moment." Problem Studied The mayor also wrote that the public safety department, of which he is head, "feels that Second Weat street presents the most serious situation sit-uation at thia time." He promised that "in the near future the police department will survey other streets and submit similar reports on lighting light-ing conditions with recommendations recommenda-tions from time to time in the order of their importance from a traffic aafety point of view." Mr. Hammond said he did not know "whether or not the road commiasion Is obligated .to light! highwaya, but we should have a fair I Idea within 10 days." Answer to the question hinged on whether or not use of federal gasoline gaso-line tax funds, (which the state must match with It own funds for highway high-way improvement), for lighting purposes pur-poses would be termed a "diversion." Diversions of such monies are prohibited, pro-hibited, and Mr. Hammond aaid. "we might be penalized more than : $800,000 for ao doing." He aaid the commission last week anticipated the lighting matter eventually would be brought before it. so letters were written all (tatea in the union to discover if any states are engaged in lighting programs and if eo, on what basis. In its demand for better lighting ths chamber of commerce board of governors instructed the chamber highway committee and the fire and safety committee to prepare puuisj for arterial highway lighting facilities. facili-ties. ! The board said such a prorram ; ia more important than street, smoothness or any other factor. |