The San Francisco call., 1909-04-16
HOW CAR SERVICE
COULD Be B[TT[RfD
Merchants Association Makes
Report in Regard to Improve
ment of Existing Conditions
Suggestions Which United Rail
roads Might Well Give
Serious Consideration

| The full text of the detailed report
printed by the Merchants association
in regard to the service now being
given the city by the United Rail
roads, and the suggestion for better
operation over all the car lines. came
out yesterday and disclosed that what
might be termed a scientific study of
been made. The report is more than
a bare statement of conditions and is
alive with Illuminating illustration and
comment
Perhaps the most important of the
suggestions for better service are
those advocating the Sutter street line
to the ferry, transfers to and from
the Geary street line. and trailers-
extra cars drawn behind the regular
cars-during the rush hours
The report shows that the Sutter
street cars could easily be operated
even on the inner tracks in Market
street without causing a congestion of
traffic. At present not more than IL
cars of the regular lines are in Mar
ket street, below the intersection with
Sutter, at the same time. The admis-
sion of the Sutter street line to Mar
more cars to the number which might
be expected to be on the main thor
oughfare below Sutter during any in
terval The report states that thrice
this number could be operated with
out causing ovcrcrowding.
DISGRACE TO MODERN CITY
The horse cars" the report declares,
ARE a disgrace to a modern city.
Trailers could be operated advanta-
geously in Valencia, McAllister, Market
Turk and Eddy. Kearny, Sutter POLK
and Larkin and Mission street lines
Thus old cars could be pressed into the
best of service. the use of extra power
and an extra motorman be avoided,
and many more fares would be col
lected.
On very few lines. it is declared is
the headway what it should be The
minimum headway on the Polk and
Larkin lines is eight minutes, and dur
ing a greater part of the day ten
minutes between cars Is not an unusual
thing.
The Geary street system is called
the best in the city, with the exception
Of it's enforced transfer regulations
The cars run only four minutes apart
during most of the day and with n
three minute headway during the rush
hours. There are % cars in service.
THE POWELL STREET SYSTEM
1t is declared that the Eddy and
Turk ears should stop at Eddy and
Market, and that the Washington and
Jackson line should run to the ferry
and leave the Powell street traffic TO
cars that would transfer out Jackson.
One criticism in the report, not di-
rected at the United Railroads, has
been termed inadvisable. and yet an
other stated to be not founded on cor
rect observations; but the dozens of
other criticisms and suggestions have
met with Nthe unanimous approval of
businessmen. The two criticisms re-
ferred to are those criticising the fact
that wagons are allowed to use the
streetcar tracks for driveway. and
thus impede traffic, and tho one refer
ring to the conduct of passengers in
owl cars.
1t is pointed out that wagons are
driven on the tracks because the streets
are in so miserable condition.
Wagons do not choose to drive down
the tracks on well paved streets, and
"A regulation. forcing them off to the
cobbles and into the chuck holes of
the average street would be cruel.
THE WEARY NIGHT WORKERS