New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-16
1 WAY TO PROMPT IMPROVEMENT.

The figures presented by the City Club in its
report upon the traffic of the subway, elevated
and surface lines in this city indicate that the
rapid transit problem is not nearly so difficult
rs IT seems. The existing facilities for carry
ing passengers are not being used to their full
capacity This is true on the subway, elevated
and surface lines. Upon the failure to put the
subway to its full we have already com
mented showing that it due 10 the bad
type of cars operated in the subway. No such
excuse applies 10 the surface roads, and It is
only in limited degree applicable TO the ele-
waited roads.
on both the surface and the elevated lines
the marlborough has cut down the number of
cars or trains operated according to the figures
Of the City Club as compared with the mum
Der operated according to the Company's own
reports made 10 Mayor Low In 1902 For in
stance on the west side elevated above 116th
street where the local and express services
converge, hfty-eight trains an hour now
operated In rush hours, compared to eighty-one
an hour in 1902. There Is no reason why the
company cannot operate as many now as it
could five wears ago. 4 similar reduction was
/. observed on the other elevated lines. On the
surface lines the reduction in service Is even
greater. According to the City Clubs report
90 per cent moro cars were operated on the
Madison avenue, Sixth avenue, ODD street and
Lexington avenue lines on December % 1902,
than on June II of this year, and the car mile
: age has been cut down one-half in eight years
son the Third avenue system.
The City Club report says:
AS 10 the accommodations in Madison ave
nue. the number of cars is evidently conditioned
by the fact that they have to run on the same
tracks as crOsstOwn cars. Between and
o'clock elghty-tWo cars were run north in Madi-
son avenue On q similar line in Boston 1874
cars are run an hour each way, with q maximum
- hETJF
42d street.
In 1902 126 cars were run north between
and o'clock IL Madison avenue, and this year
only eighty-two in the same hour. At the cross
ing Of the Broadway the Sixth avenue and the
oath street lines recent rush hour count showed
Ats cars passing IN all directions IN an hour
Four years ago there were 525 The company
In a statement once said that 80 cars an hour
could be operated at that junction and that I3l
was reasonable number. Thus the company,
according to It's own figures, is running little
more than half as many cars as it can run at
that junction.
Why has the service been cut down? The
subway was not In operation in 1902, and there
fore there was physical necessity for more cars
on the surface and the elevated lines than there
Is at present. If the traction companies had
run five years ago only as many surface and
elevated cars as they are running to-day many
|
cars at all and their nickes would have been
lost to the business. The traction companies
are always operating, according to their own
profession, Just as many cars as possible,
We have been assured OF that officially more
than once this year Curiousy enough when
the subway was opened IT became impossible TO
run as many elevated and surface cars as for
merry. Curiously, too the number Of cars the
company can operate IS always adapted to carry
New York home damned to suffocatlon.
The City Club has done q public service in
| proving by actual count what everybody be-
Neved from his own experience that the service
| on the surface and elevated roads has been cut
| down nearly one-half, and that if the INTERIOR
! ough can be forced to make the utmost use Of
| existing facilities New YORK viii be able to get
/ TO and from work in comparative comfort This
report OF the City Club should be Of interest
| and value TO the Public Service Commissioners
now that they are facing the problem Of i'm
| proving this city's transportation. Betterment
| through additional facilities will take years.
Betterment through enforcing the utmost prac-
! ticable use Of the existing facilities can be
prompt.