Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-12-21
SMALL. TOWNS NEEDS
Improvement Pointers on a Com
prellensive General Plan.
IDEAL LAYOUT FOR STREETS.
Diagonal Thorouehfares Should Radi-
ate From Railway Station Like
Spokes From Wheels Hub-Widths
For Streets and Roadways.

For Streets and Roadways.
During the past two or three years a
number of elaborate reports have been
published setting forth proposed plans
Cor the improvement of some of the
largest cities Of the country. While
these are interesting to all municipal
officials, their very elaborateness may
serve to discourage the smaller COM
-ntnities whose resources would not
permit any approximation to the ex-
penditnre required for such improve
MontS. Fortunately their needs are
similarly much less than those of the
larger cities. A recent report for the
suburban town of Ridgewood, n. j.,
which has been submitted by Charles
Milford Robinson, is unusually com
pleJe. considering the size of the town,
and is an illustration of the fact that
intelligent and expert study of condi-
lions and recommendations for i'm
provements are as desirable for the
small community as for the large and
: that the adoption of the plans need not
entail impossible expense, says the
Municipal Journal and Engineer.
II considering the general street plan
The report starts with the railroad sta
ton rs the chief focus of traffic. it be-
ing the effort Of every commuter to
either reach it or get away from 1t in
the shortest possible time twice every
day. The natural tendency for sub
urb is to grow around the station as a
. center in concentric rings, and in the
Ideal suburban street plan diagonal
thorouChfares would radiate from the
station like the spokes from the hub Of
= a wheel. Between these thoroughfareS
at brief intervals would be short and
quiet streets. A secondary focus of the
town should be furnished by the town
ball and postofIice.
Taking up the details Of the streets
,1r. Robinson first considers the side
%raLks and unhesitatingly condemns
ia RidgewOod because
the walk proper is placed about twelve
70, eighteen inches from the curb in
stead Of being at least three feet, as it
should be in any residential district.
From five to ten feet would be better
while for parkways, boulevards, etc,
tir distance should be still greater
Assuming q walk six feet wide. which
IS generally ample on a street sixty
fcct l., tWeeh lot lines, there should be
three feet planted in turf between the
property line and the walk. then ten
feet in turf between the walk and the
curb, the latter strip carrying the street
trees and in most cases being further
orramcntcd with flowers and low
: shrubs. Then would come a twenty
Two foot roadway, which Is sufficiently
wide for any residential street in
small suburb Which is not arteral or
does not carry heavy pleasure traffic.
On n street eighty feet wide. assuming
s2hat there are no car tracks. there is
esnch ample room for identifying the
street that either the width of the side
parking between walk and curb could
be wade about fftnon feet or a central
strip Of Grass fifteen feet wide could
divide the roadway into two, each
.eiGhtccn feet wide a five foot strip Of
turf still separating the walk from the
curb. Few wagons exceed eight feet
Z IN width over all, and touring cars sell
, 3Om reach seven feet so that an eight
cen foot roadway allows ample room
for passing. Where there Is a middle
strip Of parking all through traffic on
each side should be in the same direc-
t1on.
Appearance is not the only argument
In favor of such proportioning Of the
street space, but economy also argues
IN it's favor. A square foot Of road
way Is more expensive to construct
a. ~ maintain tLdn an equal area Of
rurf: also, from q sanitary point of
wsex. the wider the road the greater
GtS volume Of dust, and the closer the
cuad comes to the curb the nearer this
3,1st is to the houses and to pedes-
rrians Moreover, 1t IS assumed, Of
course, that shade trees will be planted
In the strip between sidewalk and
curb, end the wider this Is the
healthier the trees are apt to be and
the less the damage they do to both
curb and sidewalk paving When
trees are planted in a strip only few
inches wide either they will be puny
0&4d 'N'IS anu ulc LOT ldCh
Of nOurishment, or If they do grow
vigorously they will force up the walk
and throw the curb out Of line. With
the wider strip of turf there is better
49, -'r'r' =" -" ""~eet as a whole, q
few inches width only of such being
to- L.. .,l.4.i,aLt Il dimension In COM
garrison with the others and irritating
BY the lack of balance. Moreover,
wide parking seems to increase the
9depth Of the adjacent lots and gives
Nne houses better setting.
As TO curbing. 1t is recommended
that uniformity in construction be re-
tquired In each civic unit, such unit BE-
ing whole street or at least a section
considerably longer than one lot The
report recommends the substitution Of
concrete cutters for cobble ones, stat
ing that the latter are difficult to keep
clean and are soon deficient in orderli-
ness Of aspect.
Street trees should be, as Mr. Rob-
1nson states, the property Of the CON-
'tnunity as whole and In charge Of