New-York tribune., 1907-04-14
CAR SEATS FOR ALL.
No More Strap Hangers Is Shonts's
Ideal.
BY Theodore T.. Shonts.


President OF tho Iaterboroush- Metropolitan Com
pany.
The problem that I have been asked by the
Interborough- Metropolitan Company to solve.
loosely stated. IS the carrying OF approximate
~ one and half million New Workers from
their homes To their places of business and back
again I'm twelve hours.
One-twenteth Of all tho people in the United
States live iu New York city. and its growth I'm
population is at ratio Of five times greater
than tho rest Of the country. When the fact Is
taken into consideration that on the Third ave-
nue. elevated line alone we are compelled to
carry-owing to the increase OF population in
The BronX-one million more passengers every
month than the preceding one il is apparent
that the transit problem is not one that win
solve itself
At the outset l wish to make it plain that I do
not take and have no sympathy with. anything
OF public be damned" attitude Earnestly
and honestly we are endcavoring to transport
the people who travel IN this town with safety
comfort and speed place safety first. because
It is better TO take little more time in getting
TO ones home or place Of business than to run
the risk OF not getting there at all.
Preliminary study OF the situation leads mo 10
the oplnion-I cannot call II. IN all phases a con-
clusion-that the quickest means of relieving the
congestion Of traffic lies in the reasonable re-
striction Of street traffic as to give more lee
way TO the surface cars: two additional tracks
on the Second avenue Il" to relieve the Bronx
congestion and side doors in the subway ears
II some OF the stations built on curves can
be so adjusted that there viii be no danger In
unloading. And finally. the construction of ad-
ditonal subways fast as the traffic demands
1t should be understood. however. that the
Interborough-M Company Is not ask
fav lirtl- v,ri.-; -;I1c.
make only of those to which we are right
fully entitled and with the proper application
Of these expect to bring about many reforms
in the transit system.
Take the case of the surface cars With the
proper regulation OF street traffic in the rush
hours many veXatious delays may be entirely
avoided The surface ears must come To be
used more and more for short haul passengers.
leaving the long hauls TO the subway and the
elevated lines.
At present the Second avenue elevated road is
the only one that Is not being worked to it's
fullest capacity, because the people, fer some
reason or othor-possbly To save "A walk OF
couple Of blocks, do not use this line as they
might and ought to do. Express trains would
dverting great deal Of traffic from the sub
way and the Third avenue L" and relieving
the pressure or passengers to The Bronx that is
now overwhelming US.
These additional tracks l am informed bv our
engineers Couid pt completed and trains started
IN eighteen months TO two years. while il will
take from three to four years to construct the
proposed new East and West side subways In
less than that time the conditions of travel to
The Bronx will become intolerable unless these
tracks are erected on Second avenue
circumstance that struck me during nv
Journeyings over the various subway lines was
the obvious necessity for "reater speed I'm filling
and emptying trains where congestion is great
est, much delay being attributable to the loss
Of time at these points. Side doors In the cars
at first blush appear to offer at least a martial
solution of this difficulty Experts have in
formed me that the underground lines I'm Lon
don abandoned the side doors because they
failure, but l am far from convinced that
they would not do much to relieve the con-
EeStion and minimize delays here. And we will
try, eXperlmentally at least perhaps on the
surface cars, wider platforms doors for the ex-
elusive use of passengers getting on and Others
for passengers getting off. We will try the plan
Of pay-as-you-get-on, also. on some part of the
system to see how it viii work, and we will
well. ~ -
One of the insstent demands Of the New
York public, with which we intend TO comply
II possible is a seat for every passenger travel
ling In public conveyances. How many New
Workers, however, would wait with patience on
a subway or elevated road station or i'm the
street each for his turn as the seats I'm train
arter tram ana car after car filled up. leaving
the alsles and platforms empty. and see these
Vehlcles go on with plenty OF room for him 10
stand up in?-which he would far rather do than
be delayed IN getting home to his place OF
business When we introduce the car-full-no-
more-passengers rule am afraid that we shall
have difficulty in enforcing It
However, many OF the evils of the present
transit system in New York are bound to lie
wiped out. All OF the many sources Of popular
complaint will be taken up in regular order and
every possible remedy will be applied with the
least possible loss Of time I hone soon N have
prepared a comprehensive plan for the aving
out OF now routes. which will afford relief In
transportation for at least the next fifty years
a plan that Will dovetail with present conditions
an" tnest thnss or tbs tuture.-Harper's Weekly