New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-14
BICYCLES ETTENSITELT USED
INTERESTING DIAGRAMS PREPARED BY
ENGINEER LEWIS. OF THE CITY
WORKS DEPARTMENT.

When tho annual repor. OF the Department OF
city Works IS published in book form. the part Of
n devoted 10 the Bureau Of Street nstructon
and Maintenance will contain some interesting dia-
grams showing the amount Of travel Of different
kinds on OF the principal streets They
being prepared under the direction Of Nelson 7.
Lewis the engineer who has charge OF the bureau,
and are the result OF careful observations made
certain days when men were assigned 10 count the
number and character Of vehicles passing each
hour.
one OF the diagrams which Mr. Lewis regards
with peculiar interest shows the bicycle traffic
two important observation-disclosures between
Pierrepont and Fulton SITS. and SXth-ave. between
Park Place and Prospect Place. The count
made on three consecutive days IN April last
Thursday Friday and Saturday. the 23d, oath and
18th between : n. and p m. The first day
was a good one IN point Of weather; at o'clock
the temperature was 80 degrees. and at p. IS
degrees The day Is described as clear and the
streets were clean The next day the mercury
stood at 81 degrees and CO degrees at the hours
named: IL clear in the early part Of the day.
but there was a light sprinkle at 3ij. and light
shower at 4:45. wetting the pavements enough to
make riding difficult On Saturday. the 10Th II was
clear in the morning. with temperature Of % de-
grees AT o'clock il became cloudy about :, and at
1875 d light sprinkle occurred AT : 0 clock the
temperature - degrees.
disclosure which Mr.. Lewis looks on as signih-
cant is the large amount OF riding early in the
morning. and the great falling of soon after
o'clock In his opinion, this shows that large num-
bers OF men make OF bicycles I'm going to bust
ness.
on April "a. when the morning was fine and
the temperature comparatively high. the number
out ~ the time the began much larger
than the other days on the afternoons OF
Thursday and Saturday the number ran TO
high point. while Friday. when the shower Oc
Cured the line ewOops down sharply TO the zero
point. The effects Of the sprinkles on Friday ana
Saturday are also plain. they occur. however. not
exactly at the time Of the rain. but half hour or
"a afterWard. This indicates that riders on their
wheels when the drizZle occurred hurried home or
rode 10 some other place OF shelter. while those
aLour TO start did not do until "A promise OF good
weather given. The sprinkle Saturday
forenoon caused depression Ike tnc letter T.
in me line. indicating the riding In Cllnton-st.
Tho marked decrease in the number of riders be
tySeen and o clock II shown by all the six lines
n though Il IL less marked In those FOR Saturday
v1hen OF course the largest number of pleasure
riders abroad
III seems TO me" said Mr.. Lewis. In a converse
ton on this subject a day or two ago that the
,'esnine OF this Is that the bicycle Is not merely
-, instrlfrneut for pleasure but means Of locOmo-
ton Tor many people. and II Is the duty Of the city
acrordinglv 10 do much for them as possible
AR Lewis has been unweaTying IN his efforts 10
,royidr better pavements for the people Of Brook
t,D The easy inference from the remark quoted
~ that ne will strive in the future to do more than
In the past.