New-York tribune., 1908-12-16
CITY AND B. R. 7. SPLIT
L.L.R.R., TOO, TURNS DOWN
CROSSING PROPOSAL.
Municipality to Seek Grade Legisla-
ton IN albany to SaUe 1t from
Tremendous Charges.

After months of negotiation which seemed to
| be coming out happily, the city has broken with
| the Long Island Railroad and the Brooklyn
! Rapid Transit Company concerning a general
policy for the fixing of grades for streets that
interest railway tracks in the Borough of
Queens
The Board of Estimate will appeal to the
Legislature for relief. 1t will ask the Legis-
lature to exempt the city of New York from
| the operations Of the general railroad law 50
far as it bears on grade crossings
The law which the city will ask for will IA
cilitate its plans for regulating and grading
streets in the unimproved districts of the city,
putting larger burden of cost for the improve
nents on the railroad companies, and vastly
shortening the time for compelling the railroad
companies either to depress or elevate tracks
crossing city streets.
After a year or two Of negotiations and con-
ferences the city submitted a general map fix
ing the grades of streets in the Borough Of
Queens. The companies at first seemed to fall
in with the idea of having a settled policy about
grade crossings. but finally broke with the city
on these two important points:
The companies insist that grade crossings be
abolished by the city under the terms provided
by the railroad law at the present time. refus
ing to permit the city to take advantage at any
future time of more favorable terms that might
be fixed by the Legislature.
The companies insist freedom with refer
ence to the creation of yards and terminals,
without reference to the city's future plans for
running streets through these yards.
Proposed street improvements in Queens,
valued, proba bly,. at $10,OOO,0O0. are halted by
the clash between the companies and the city.
The existing state law under which the rail
roads wish TO continue is a delusion and snare so
far as grade crossings in this city concerned.
Briefly, the law provides that half the cost of
changing grades made necessary by the opening
of streets be charged to the municipality, one
quarter 10 the state and one-quarter TO the COM
pany.. This looks well paper. but it does
work out to the citys interest.
STATE SELDOM PAYS IN CITY.
The law as regards the percentage TO be borne
by the state is a dead letter, the city authorities
say In only one instance since consolidation
has the state borne any part of the cost of
grade regula tion and that was in Avenue L, in
Flatbush several years ago. The state appro-
PIRATES about S1J0,0OO year for its proportion
of the cost of changing grade crossings, and all
this money is used outside this city. Therefore
instead Of paying only half the cost the city has
TO shoulder the states quarter well its own
half
Another embarrassing feature of the case is
that under the law at present construed the
railroads can go ahead and make costly improve
ments on their. roadbeds greatly increasing,
trackage, and charge three-quarters of it to the
city.
The law gives the powers OF the old Railroad
Commissioners 10 the Public Service Commits
sion and as the railroads construe It they are
entitled to hearings at every successive step
for every crossing affected Worked out in a
practical way. this would mean that the city
would have to fix one grade crossing at a time
without reference to any general policy of i'm
provement and that the costs would pile up in
the old d-fashioned way
The city's expenditures have been increasing
at such an alarming rate for the last ten years
that the Board of Estimate has determined 10
fight for the proposed change. involving as II
does radical departure in its dealings with the
railroad companies and the saving literally Of
millions OF dollars within the next ten years If
the citys plans carry.
THE PROPOSED AGREEMENT
The proposed agreement. which the companies
seemed at time ready 10 accept and the
Continued third page.