The herald., 1896-01-22
THE STREETS AND CROSS
WALKS

The recent rain has undoubtedly
been golden shower to the people of
Southern California, and has certainly
filed with hopefulness the hearts of
the men who plow, plant and harvest.
But to the people who are compelled
to pedestrianize in Los Angeles the
physical, hygienic and sanitary effects
the discomfort and even dan
gers of LOGON otion, or more
properly speaking, navigation,
around the city away from few of the
best business and residence blocks,
and this is owing to the deplorable
condition Of the major portion of our
streets and the paucity of crosswalks.
Few of the streets of this city are in
reasonably good condition to Withstand
the effects of a rainstorm of two or
three days duration. Most of them
are bad, and many of them that are
closely built up are practically
no better than the average county
road. This is an unpleasant confess
sion for any one anxious for the good
name of Los Angeles to make, but il is
fact, and should be looked candidly
in the face and the reason for it
promptly abolished. No city can be-
come in the full sense a beautiful,
comfortable and popular residence
place with thoroughfares that resem-
BILE common country roads after an
average rainfall.
The infrequency of crosswalks
through the thickly inhabited parts of
the city is less excusable and more re-
grettable than the condition of the
roadways. For comparatively small
sum the entire city can be supplied
with sufficient crosswalks kept in good
repair to enable pedestrians to travel
from one end of street to another
without getting more than the soles of
their shoes muddy during the storm
lest weather.
The crosswalks are at present not
only inadequate in number, but in
most instances are in shockingly bad
condition. The distribution of them
is simply idiotic. At the intersections
of soms streets one may be found, at
other intersections two, and rarely
three. AS matter of fact if we are to
have them at all, no street intersection
should be without at least tbree cross
walks; they should have four. And if
but two, the system of arrangement
should be such that person could
oil IS.
street without dispensing at any CROSS
ing with crosswalk. OF course such
a method would leave one side of
street without crosswalks and would
require the people of that side to go to
the other if they desired to enjoy the
privilege of the crosswalks on that
street, but the result would
be that person could at least
find one side of the thoroughfare
along which to travel for several
squares with the hope of reasonable
degree of immunity from a mud bath.
That assurance cannot be given with
the present hapnazard damphool ar
rangement which gives at one crossing
q crosswalk on the north side of a
street and at the next a crosswalk on
the south side.
The need of bettering the condition
OF the public streets and adding to and
improving the crosswalks is urgent. and
though the subject may not be so spec
tacular or afford as much room for fer
vid and high plane oratory as the sup
preston of billboards illustrated with
the pictures of feminine high kickers
better clothed than the dancers whom
the councilmen have seen gyrate at
some of the tirst-class theaters, it is of
more immediate consequence to the
people Of Los Angeles