New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-18
CHANGES IN STREET TRAFFIC..


The bill which has been introduced at Albany
for the better safeguarding Of passengers on
streetcars in this city is at least in its general
principle, to be commended. Briefly, it pro-
vides that the large cars now in use shall be
manned by three instead of two men in rush
hours. One.iS, of course to devote himself en-
tirely to running the car. One is to collect the
fares. The third Is to supervise and assist the
entrance and exit of passengers That there IS
need Of some one to fulfil the last named duty IS
obvious. The cars are high and 1t is not easy TO
climb upon the platforms. They run swiftly,
stop for the shortest possible time and start
again suddenly. For an aged or intirm person
or one encountered with parcels TO get on or OH
is at best no easy matter. 1t is a positively
dangerous operation unless the standing still Of
the car is assured. At present that is not as
sured. The solitary conductor is half of the
time inside the car collecting fares. He can
not see whether all the passengers who want to
get on or off have succeeded in doing so. He
often gives the signal for starting while inside
the car, remote from the platform, and not in
frequently before all passengers have got on or
off. For that he is scarcely to be blamed for If
he does not collect the fares promptly he will
get into trouble with his employers and If at
every stop he makes his way back to the plat
form before giving the starting signal he will
delay the car and get it far behind schedule
time To attend to both duties is simply too
much for one man to do
There seems to be no good reason why the car
companies should demur to the proposed reform.
If under the old system of horse traction they
could afford to put two men on a car carrying
only thirty or forty passengers, certainly they
can afford to put three men on a car carrying
twice as many, especially when the cost of trac-
fiOO is much less 10 latter case than in
former. At present they are spending much less
money for traction than before, and are employ
ing only half as many men in proportion to the
number of passengers carried There could be
no objection to that if the service were as good
as before in point of caring for the passengers
personal comfort and safety. But it is not In
the horsecar days the conductor was almost al
ways on the platform, and if he was not the
car moved so slowly and the step was so low
that it did not greatly matter. But now it is no
uncommon thing for to run half dozen
blocks and make half a dozen stops and take up
or set down score of passengers without the
conductor getting to within reach or sight of
the platform. That frequently means discom-
fort and sometimes deadly peril to the passen-
gers. 1t is a state of affairs that should be
remedied at once. And since a return to the
slower and smaller cars Is not to be thought of,
the only practicable way is to put on additional
help.
The principle which underes the whole case
is the ancient one of "other times, other man
ners." Changed conditions call for changed
methods The large and swift electric car,
larger and swifter than the steam railroad car
of years ago, is not to be operated and regarded
as though IT were a>hOrsecar of half the size and
a quarter the speed And whatever else is
changed or unchanged. the comfort and safety Of
the passengers must not be impaired. They rep
resent, so far the public is concerned, the
reason for the roads existence. The charter is
granted and the use Of the street given not in
order that capitalists shall make money, but in
order that the people shall have safe and salts
factory means of transit The accomplishment
of the latter aim is what is first and most siren
uOusly to be insisted upon. In point of speed of
transit the public is now far better served than
formerly. OF that there is no doubt. And for
those who can get seats the are much
pleasanter to ride in. In those respects there
has been an advance in service. But in the
matter of getting on and off the cars, because of
those very improvements in other respects there
has been actual retrogression. The evil is a
grave one. But it is one that can be remedied,
and that without interfering with the other
improvements that have been effected.