The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-27
w Ant LESS PAVING
Residents Of Park Avenue Want
Width Of Roadway Reduced
to Thirty-six Feet.
The Extra Space Gained Would Be
Added to Observation-Disclosures
tages Of the Plan.

A petition from majority of property
owners along the asphalted portion Of
Park avenue was submitted to the council
committee on paving this afternoon.
asking that the paved roadway of that
thorofare be reduced from Sc to SO feet In
width. The plan has been agitated by the
Park Avenue Improvement association
with the idea that a 36-foot roadway was
ample for the traffic and that the wider
boulevard strips would add materially to
hte beauty Of the street It has been
| urged also that the narrowing of road
ways in residence sections would decrease
the expense Of paving and increase the
probability Of having streets improved.
/ E. j. Phelps, who has been active In
the movement on Park avenue, said to-
day:
present time in cities with the most ad-
vanced ideas to narrow the portion Of the
public street which is used for the passing
| Of vehicles. My attention was especially
called to this when, upon a visit to Win
nipeg few weeks ago.. In driving about
/ the residence portion Of the city, was
| struck by the attractive appearance OF
the streets and especially the excellent
narrow paved portion was SO inter-
ested that stopped and measured the
width between curbs and was somewhat
surprised to find 1t only twenty-four feet.
Many of the residence streets also are
paved with asphalt, some of which has
Eseems to-! be in excellent condition.
shortly afterward i visited Chicago
and measured some OF the best resident
streets OF that city. found the tendency
I there alsosin the same direction, that: is,
| toward wider boulsVards and narrower
payer; portion. Believing that City En-
gineer Rinker would abe well informed I
4 IL
/ that he advocated thirty -four feet as the
maximum width Of the paved portion OF
f Park avenue. corresponded also with
/ the city engineer Of st. Paul, land from
/ him learned that the most of the down
| town streets in that city are about thirty
ave feet wide between the curbing. Port
land avenue In St. Paul, a handsome
| street paved with asphalt, is thirty four
feet. between the curb. 1877
7 am informed that all residence streets
| In Toronto are treated in this manner.
| Some of the late municipal magazines
/ have articles regarding the tendency to
i marrow roadways in foreign cities, and es-
! pecially. In Paris. Mr.. Manning, the
i eminent landscape gardner. OF Boston,
favors paving Of streets not more than
twenty feet vide. It seems to be the
general consessus of opinion of those best
informed that the, paved portion Of 9
resident street. even II It is a thorofare
ought not to be more than "a feet II
q width There is absolutely no reason FOL
cross streets, having paving more thar
20 feet wide. 1t would seem self eviden
that a green sward Is more attractive thar
a, dusty pavement. [ do not believe II
narrow streets, but do believe in mar
E rover .driveways. y
1.-THE advantages are many. First is TIL
item sof1 first cost; second, cost Of main
! tenance ;s-third, better lighted streets, a
fpAy
: der the shadow Of the trees and placed a
the, outer edge OF thea eurbing; fourth, NJ
occasion For tearing up paving when nee
essary to Changer seatsr mains. gas main
lor electric light cu1Idufts,5 as these will b
! placed inside of the Gurbfng; fifth, 1t prac
, tically deepens the residence lot the mum
Der of feet that the paving is reduced
sixth, for sanitary reasons, it needs no ar
! gument to show that every foot Of pave
ment which is reduced and adder to TIL
8 green. sward of the city tends to bette
) Esanitary conditions; seventh, it remove
I the noise Of the pavement further from
! the residence. $50:
ut has been objected by some that 8
or even So feet of roadway is not wild
: enough for q street like Park avenue. Thi
idea is clearly wrong. While Nicollet ave
nue. is fifty feet in width between tn
! curbs, yet the width in use daily is onl,
about thirty feet, as any one can see b.
. noticing the street In the portion OF tn
day when it is most thickly crowde'
i with vehicles. Between Fifth and Sixt
/ streets especially. there is always a lin
5 Of vehicles standing upon both sides Q
$ the street. These vehicles occupy full
) ten feet on each sidessso that all the grea
) traffic Of that busy street is confined t
) thirty feet. Upon residence streets We
hicles are only occasionally left standing
n Lake Harriet boulevard, just. beyond til
= old pavilion, is only SO feet in width be
Q tween the picket fences, upon each sid,
4 and yet hundreds, If not thousands. {
J., vehicles pass over that portion Of tn
n boulevard every pleasant evening OF tn
k summer. BY actual measurement, re
e Gently made, find that 81 feet is prac
n tfcally. all that is used Of Portland ave
It nue., which Is a great thorofare.
e "Minhneapolis streets should be pave
= as far as possible and when cross street
: have paving only twenty feet in widtl
e the burden of expense will be so ligl
u comparatively upon the property owner
5. that. there will be q great increase in tt
II demand for paving. In order to make
ia desirable city our cross streets should
It. paved as well as our. main thorofares, ill
s Portland, Park or Hennepin avenues.
i large portion of the dirt now taken upc
10 these main streets, and which makes
e SO difficult to keep them clean would di.
t appear"