New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-15
NOT THE PUBLIC'S FAULT.

The general manager Of the lnterDorouSh
company, Mr. Hedley, was reported as saying
AT n hearing the other day before the Puohc
Service Commission: THE New York puohc
cannot be trained to maintain the regular
movement essential to the success or the type
of car separate exit and entrance tEpel sug
..gested hy Mr. Arnold" This excuse has served
SO long to explain away the deficiencies IN tran
sit service in this city that it ought TO be In
validated under the statute of limitations. 1t $
not creditabIe TO Mr. HedleyS resOurcefulness as
an apoogist that ne should have TO revive
convenient but now exploded slur on the inteli-
gence of the New York travelling public
# used 10 be the fashion for street railroad
managers TO say that the public here was too
dense and unruly to appreciate the value OF
reeuIations made for its own benefit. 1t was
cheerfully assumed that the majority of the
passengers on the surface and elevated roads
were rufians by nature and that they would
delight in breaking rules and regulations framed
to secure order and convenience in travel The
railroad companies were glad to excuse them
selves for neglecting to improve traffic condl-
lions on the ground that it would be labor LOST
10 try TO teach New Workers how TO make the
most of the transit facilities offered them. Pos
sibIv there were some who honestly believed that
conditions here were hopeless. Yet it has al
ways seemed 10 us that this was illogical as
and quick to adapt itself to new conditions. We
have always believed that New Workers were
not so un-American as deliberately to prefer
chaos 70 order and comfort in their daily travel,
if they had the choice fairly presented to them
Fortunately two experiments have recently
been made which prove that the people OF this
CITY are entirely willing TO cooperate in any ef-
fort f. reduce the discomforts of urban trans
portation. The demoralizing and brutal crush
on the Brooklyn Bridge-due allowance being
made for diminished traffic since the East River
subway extension was opPned-has been vastly
alleviated by the adoption of few simple and
sensible reforms. although we had been assured
for wears that those reforms were impossible,
The crowd travelling TO and from Brooklyn hal
been trained 70 disorderly and ruffianly habits.
Yet IT grasped at the chance TO improve, when
that chance came, and in four months conditions
of travel on the bridge have been bettered 20
an astonishing degree Again when the new
pay-as -you-enter cars were introduced on the
Fourth and Madison avenue line the prediction
was made that impatient and unruly New York
would never submit to such troublesome restric-
| tons on traffic. The contrary has proved true,
for it appears after trial that the people here
are rational enough to submit to any restrictions
| which clearly promote comfort and order.
The same result viii be shown when the sub
wav management attempts to introduce further
order into its service. The great drawback in
that service now is the waste of time which
arises from the defective method of emptying
and loading the cars The passengers realize
that the system is unnecessarily bad and act
lust as the crowd at the Brooklyn Bridge used
10 act under similar circumstances. Give them
some encouragement and they will be as respon-
sive and docile as the bridge sufferers. Con-
fusion and discomfort in the subway can be
overcome by furnishing ears constructed so as
to empty and fill easily and quickly. The pub
lie will readily train itself 10 such cars
when they are provided.