Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-13
NARROWER ROADS
INSPECTORS IDEA
w. M. HUMPHREYS SUGGESTS
PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENT
Declares It Is Better to Take Care OF
Thirty Feet of Space Well
Than Fifty Feet
Poorly

In communication to the Automo-
lille club of Southern California w. M
Humphreys, inspector of public works
makes a suggestion that he auInlls
NAV cause some real estate operators
to look on him with disfaVor, but ne
believes it for the best interests OF the
CITY. This is to narrow the roadWays
of the residence streets. His sugges-
tion places the proper width for resi-
dence streets at thirty feet.
In discussing this matter yesterday
Mr.. Humphreys said:
"The roadways of some of our resi-
dence streets are entirely too VIDE IoI
the necessities of traffic. Engineers an
over the country have awakened 10 ti!e
fact that wide roadways in the resi-
dence portions of cities are not deslr-
able. and they have made this PLAIN
at their conventions. Eastern CltleS
end some of the cities of the coast have
lately begun to narrow their roadWays'
hut when we have tried 1t IN Los An
geles we have been strongly opposed by
certain real estate men, VINO MAKE
streets for show and not for utility. l
wolIId not narrow the street. Have the
street between the property lines as
wide as possible, but let the extra
width be In parking and sidewalks.
Mr. humphreys letter to the Auto
mobile club was in reply to a rather
"sassy'' communication received from
that organization by the board OF pup
lie works. zoo-o+or,,
Charles B. Hopper, complained Of the
condition of Vermont avenue south OF
Santa Monica avenue. Vermont avenue
at this point is in a deplorable condl-
tion. and has been for several years.
The Automobile club has called atten
ton to it several times, and demanded
that the board of public works 40
something. The club represents that
several automobiles belonging to mem
bers have been seriously damaged IN
the holes and ruts on this street, and
these members have urged the club TO
bring damage suits against the city.
Force Owners to improve
The hoard admitted the club had suf-
fered long and with cause, but in order
to force the property owners on this
street to do something themselves, no
effort has been made to improve 1t by
citv funds. The attitude of the board
has had the effect of compelling the
property owners to institute proceed
ings for the improvement OF Vermont
avenue, from Santa Monica avenue 10
Santa Barbara avenue, and part or
the way below Santa Barbara, and this
good news Mr. Humphreys communi-
Gated to the club in his letter yesterday
AS the Automobile club is organized
for the purpose of seeing that Los An
geles streets are kept in good repair,
Mr.. Humphreys volunteered some sug-
gestions besides his narrower roadway
idea. He said that there may be cities
of the country in which the streets of
the outlying portions are in worse con-
dition than they are in Los Angeles,
but he could not recall them, and he
had visited a good many. He said there
was reason for complaint because of
poor streets. and there would be for
several years to come.
There are 800 miles of streets in the
city of Los Angeles north of Manches-
ter avenue" said the inspector of pub
lie works. with few exceptions the
soil of these streets is not such as
makes good roadbeds, and in order to
have good streets it is necessary to
have them well improved In many
places cellar gravel has been used, but
this is not satisfactory. In other places
a little oil has been put on the surface
dirt, but this does not resist the wea-
OF traffic.
zone remedy is to narrow the road
ways. 1t is better to take care of a
30-foot roadway well than a 50-foot
roadway poorly. But when We have
tried this program in Los Angeles we
have met with serious opposition.
''It is also better to insist on a
higher class of initial street work than
has been the case in the past. The
board of public works has earnestly
tried to do this, but has been just as
earnestly fought by real estate men,
and as a result many streets are con-
structed wholly for show and not for
wear.
''It is more than our finances allow to
take care of the improved streets of
the city, and we make no effort to take
care of unimproved streets, such as
Vermont avenue, south of Santa Mon
leo. The remedy for this is to induce
the property owners to petition for
their streets to be improved"