The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-12
DEFECTS IN NEW STREETS.
The Soath Delaware Brfck-Car
Tracks That Are Dangerous.

There Is no one so well qualified for In
spector Of improved streets as a bicycle rider.
Taking the average, riders can tell where ev-
cry bad spot is and where any dangerous hole
is located They soon learn to know just
where to find pavement that is a little wavy
but yet intact, so far as surface appearance
goes. 1t did not take riders long TO discover
that Pennsylvania street, north OF Seventh,
had many cracks. extending its whole width.
and that similar cracks have appeared on
Talbot avenue and many other streets
They could find such things dark night
when the moon is not working, and then not
half try
The abomination of all riders is the manner
Of laying pavements on streets with car
tracks. If the pavement is laid between the
rails 1t Is laid so as to make a great bump
for the wheelman in passing over. The
street-railroad company's charter says that
the rails laid shall be of the most approved
pattern, but there never has been an effort to
have them of anything but such pattern as
suits the companys purse. There is rail-
the Johnson-which does not interfere in the
least with the use Of streets by vehicles. 1t
simply has small groove top. into which
the fiange OF the car wheel fits allowing the
pavement to be flush with the rail on each
side The groove is not more than an inch
wide, and vehicles in passing over 1t do not
jolt a particle Such rails cost from 81 to 50
ton more than the kind in use here. Two
blocks of an early pattern OF this ran are laid
on Pennsylvania street, betweem Washington
and Ohio, but the street is not paved between
the tracks. so it is scarcely noticeable to BIZ
cyclists.
Even with the present rails a great I'M
provement could be made by laying row OF
bricks against the inner side of the rails,
the tops of the bricks being on level with
the top Of the rails, and the asphalt next to
the bricks. In few instances this has been
done, but the plan has not been generally
followed.
A new brick street is the delight Of the
cyclers, but when the corners begin to get
Clipped off they are the first ones TO notice
the fact. Little depressions are also noticed
by them before they would be by others.
Such street may be found on South Della
ware That street has never had the repairs
1t should have had, on account of trouble
with the contractor. and it is now in very
bad condition. There were many soft bricks
placed in the street, bricks that should have
been condemned by the inspector, but were
not, and now the contractor claims that,
cannot be held responsible for their wear.
In many places they have simply crumbled
until nothing is left. The same was true of
Coburn street, from Madison avenue to East
street, but it has been partly repaired.
The many holes In the asphalt pavements
are daily danger points for all riders. The
holes that are on the route of any particular
rider in his daily trips to and from work do
H. ~r L..
but when a rider goes at night ON a street
with which he is not familiar, he is In con-
slant danger of taking a header. The holes
are more numerous this spring than usual,
and are larger. Within two blocks of the
south end of Virginia avenue there are more
than two dozen holes. varying In size from a
foot to seven or eight feet In diameter. A
plunge into one Of them after night might
result in a broken limb. but thus far nothing
more serious than broken wheel has been
reported.