The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-08
: The Gates No Protection.

!! A few days ago the street railway
company posted notices in the cars ur.
ging people to hurry up IN entering ana
leaving cars, so as to save time IN oper-
alton, When that notice was given,
The Journal suggested edltorlally
that that was all right so far as 1t
went--it was confession that loading
end unloading was taking too much
time: that undoubtedly many people
in Minneapolis needed some proddlng
of that kind; but it was observed that
the leisurelv habits of those who need
ed the prodding are largely the result
of the gates. Experience has taught
! that there is not much to be gained by
hurrying to the back platform when
| one wishes to leave the car, as the gates
| will not be opened until after the car
j comes to a dead stop. There is gen.
j orally plenty of time to reach the gates
| before they are opened. AS rule,
! passengers stand on the platform walt
! ing for the gates.
f! It was suggested that the way to ex-
! pedite travel on the street railway was
! to take off the gates, so that people
might leave the car in most cases with
out the car coming to dead stop. Men
/ and boys especially are able to do this
without inconvenience. or danger to
themselves.
No question has been thrown into the
arena of local public discussion for
many day that has aroused more In
terest, provoked more participants and
brought out a heartier response than
this proposition to take off gates. I
Journal- offered to print letters from
people who wish to express themselves
on the question Of "Gates or Nc
Gates.'' 1t is literally swamped with
communications, four-ffths of which
are hot protests against the continu
ance Of these gates. The street rail
way company has no need to remain II
doubt about public sentiment if thu
communications received and published
Il by The Journal are to be taker
as fairly representative Of the mind Of
the public. -.->
The management insists, however
that the gates are for the benefit Of
the public, for it's protection, and that
therefore, they ought to stay on. They
claim that their experience shows fewe
accidents and enough difference in thi
respect from the time when there wer'
no gates to Justify their use. >-.
Fortunately, there. are some .offcia
statistics on this point, which hav
been brought to our attention by H. M
Wheelock. His. figures have been veri
fed; they are taken from the repor
Of the bureau Of commerce and labo
for 1909, and are Che latest in the of
fetal record. From this statement i
appears that 33 per cent of all the per
sons killed by the Twin City Rapi
e Transit company are passengers and EN-
ployees. Of the other companies re
ported, the percentage of passenger
and employees killed averages 221h pc
cent of the whole number killed, shown
that our street railway company is xii
.inga larger percentage of passengers an
employees than the streetcars in othe
cities where there are no gates. I
the matter Of injuries, it appears tina
the average Of passengers and en-
p1oyees injured byroads having no gate
is 70 per cent Of the total injured, Will
on our street railway it is 60 per cen
The figures are slightly in favor of on
company in the matter of injuries, bu
not enough to overcome the differenc
in the case of deaths. If the, gates al
good for anything for the protectio
of life and limb. the figures ought t
be in favor Of the Minneapolis railwa
in both cases, and very much more
favor Of them in the case Of in:iurie
When it comes to those not passenger
that is, pedestrians, etc., the percentae
Of those killed on other railways wit
out gates to the whole number killed {
those roads is 7211a; on the Minneapol
+ system. 81 u practically the same. ]
the case Of injuries to pedestrians al
others. the percentage on the other raj
ways is 80, and on the twin city roa
40. So that official figures actually sho