The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-01-26
LEIGHTON FIFTH AVENUES JAM
A COUNT or THE VARIOUS
VEHICLES IN THE busy HOURS.

IN An B,gT0 Passed IN flvo Houfr, OF
1N~enty Minute Tho Eject OF
Empty Hansoms and Trucks In I'm
pedinx Tramo-A Suggestion From
London for Relieving the Congestion
N IA common talk among the Thousands
Who are daily Inconvenience. IL indeed
ths,r lives are not endangered. by the
crowded condition OF the roadway OF Fifth
svenue In the busy hours OF the afternoon
that .the trucks and delivery wagons
ought 10 be prohibited from using the
.rar,,o as their great numbers cause these
hlo,kades. and soon there Is TO be a new
hil before the Aldermen ordering tho ban
t.hment OF such vehicles from Fifth avenue
II occurred 10 an observant New Yorker
last Ueek 10 find out by actual count the
..aot proportion OF the Fifth avenue traffic
a., no afternoon made up Of the much
Announced trucks and delivery wagons,
the proportion OF private carrisg es, and
the proportions Of the various other classes
Of vehicles to be seen there. His hvestiga-
ton was prompted 10 part by observation
~ the effect Of the London rule which
keeps empty cabs out OF the Strand and re-
olires cabs after depositing their pas
.sngers TO leave the Strand at the first
t,rnine A rule which he say met and
ramcdied a ~situation there that was prac-
toally ths same as confronts New York
4, the matter Of the Fifth avenue afternoon
traffic,
Analyrts Of the results Of this investiga-
ton gives some interesting and enhghten-
ine Information. That the Investigation
nirht be thorough and In detail, four men
were engaged 70 carry It on, two being
nlaoed on either side OF the avenue at Thirty
Attn street. One man on each side OF the
vay merely called out the character Of
the vehicles which passed, while his COM
rade made tho reoord Of them on paper,
The Investigation Was made on Monday
sfpernoon, Jan. 20, and covered the hours
from TO 7 o'clock, whom the avenue Is
busiest. The counters subdivided their
record, counting separately four-horse.
two-horse ard one-horse trucks; two-horse
and one-horso express wagons; two-horse
and one-horse delivery wagons. automo-
biles, private carriages, stages, four-wheel
cabs, and loaded and empty hansoms,
But for convenience some Of these will be
grouped In this report. Tho counters also
Kept separate tab on the ~northbound n
southbound traffic for each separate hour.
The hour Of greatest traffic, contrary to
many guesses, was found TO be from s to 4
O'Clock. In that hour the total number OF
vehicles OF all classes passing IN both
directions was 1889.
OF this number 7l9 were private carriages,
tl5 Of which went north and 304 south. In
the same tine the total number OF trucks
and express and delivery wagons was 1921.
Although this was the hour OF heaviest
tnfal tra ftln tina graafagI nntpDaT of nFlVafA
carriages passed between 4 and 5 O'Clock.
In that hour these numbered S07, while he
total number Of trucks and express and
delivery wagons for the same time was
ll0. The largest number Of vehicles Of
theee latter classes 20 pass within any one
hour was ia. between 2 and 3 4 O'Clock.
II Will be- a surprise to a vast number Of
New Workers TO learn that the number OF
stages passing ia both directions ran from
IS 10 90 The smallest number passing in
one direction within one hour was n going
downtown between 2 and Q O'Clock, and tho
largest number passing In an hour was 81
going uptown between s and Q o'clock.
In the Ave hours OF the watch ? ,eSs pr
vate carriages passed. i.2si hansoms,
6S+ fouT-wheel cabs. 500 automobiles, 5i4
delivery wagons. 24s stages, 2Oy trucks
and 1851 cypress wagons
And now comes one Of the urio rsvel-
stions ~ the Investigation. The number OF
hansoms fell only Atty short Of the
total number Of trucks and express and
wagons together. Of the l.2sl
only COZ had passengers, while
a2i were empty, and there were only ga
trucks, express and delivery wagons to-
gether on the Avenue IN the whole five
In other words, ~ the Strand regulation
prevailed IN New York, the Prohibition ~
empty hansoms from Fifth avenus would
reinove almost as large a iactpr Of the
present congestion a. the prohibition ~
and delivery and express wagons
an put together And A. impediineuts 20
Ratio the empty CATS s's about ou a par
with che trIcks and q greater aCgrpynton
sOme'itles than the express and delivery
wagons, n l. said, since. like the trucks,
empty cal. ., slowly, v hile cypress
ard delivery wagons usually tIOt along
The procession
Here IL tho hanson record. hour by hou'
GoiLg uptown ? ~ 3 O'Clock pad" T.,
e. empty - 20 :. Doc dru ~. empty S.,
4 a. %. loaded, 20. sfupiN, - . Co u, loaded,
~ empty, a. q Z lnai'l, 81. eupty, a.,
total l0ad-d, gi7. eru'y, '7s
DOING duvut wn-2 a. 8 O'clock, loaded.
%. empty, ~. 8 % Z, loaded. - empty, rs
4 o. o laad-d, ~, empty. ~ 10 .. loadea,
emIfv. i0s q 90 .uHu't, -, empty, o.
I.fu' load q, tUI. empty, $40
r. the hour wl"h 'Ir greatest uumlsr u
HNufN llHrum- w"fr going dow ltIWt,
JOS ~ hon nt' ATil.tH tIrtfll"r q fl.H|g
hant0msl wunr irving Go grt uptsRI
H.N many n fHr igI tu .sI s' rate IAHH
Ia in fNr cams. mo- usH, empty uah a4t
fIrd Hy uls uHf"Isrr
lNF t..s' UluIaf 81 al tho voUir.,s
Tar IuF IfIrN-fTN -fusT iU ~ hfrulu
% rIlHrr UprfU.u W fHH ft hnufs ff.m
ltu ..I.a HTItf N..uHN ritFnuuu 900
d rIo lr.H.v ID. frl- uIg ls 90 % UaHr
Hllfu u.f tu U..r u.U.Y uuErl
lt a rH.r Is smaller hFun-a To- t..al
fIfus UI. HH hIuuf Hfsiass 81 MHfr tau
b laI bel I.Hr ullh uHai.r thai NtIl..ur
I.HHrl I.a HI af fIH Iafs q HIU I'd
rrHiH % rlI.uIf 90 siIh hi q
H tr rfa ntH o. satA iasC h.a bH
#.H 900 ttlaa.rI lH uass ta
WaIfsT = fsH itls fats ~ IaHslug
tftI .Ir rtfHasr fsf iNIsu & o. ntr
iFsIra ~ I.Hls iaaiF Del 80.
lss laI. las sni NJ