The sun., 1909-02-27
RAPID TRANSIT IN NEW YORK.
I.-The CROWNS Congestion Of Travel.


The report on the trafiic OF the subway
made by Bion j. Arnold to the Public
Service Commission gives some inter-
esting figures comparing the travel on
that road with the travel on other lines
noted for volume OF transportation The
figures show a larger number OF passen-
gers for each mile OF road on the subway
than on the Manhattan elevated railways,
the London tubes or the elevated lines OF
Chicago. The density Of traffic on the
Manhattan elevated lines Is very nearly
equal TO that on the subway. On both
together the traffic for each mile OF road
10 moro than twice as heavy as that on
the London tubes. and exceeds that on
the elevated lines in Chicago by 50 per
cent The trafio on the subway has in
creased with astonishing rapidly. Opened
on October 27, 1904, the road carried 49,
2Oo, ,Sl3 passengers in 1905. while in 1908
the number rose to 220. .s9i, ,212.
IL 10 true the subway has acquired
traffio largely at the expense OF other
roads. but the losses sustained by these
have been on the whole temporary. The
Manhattan elevated railways practically
recovered their former volume OF bust
ness In two and half years. The traffio
diverted from the Manhattan surface
lines had not been made good by June 80,
1907. IL only cash fares are taken into
consideration. but IL transfers are included
the surface transportation had been in
creased TO a new high record figure.
Counting both transfer and cash fare
h.. No hat IN alaVatAd
and surface. with which the subway came
into competition we're on that date-the
latest for which statistics are available
handling the largest volume OF traffic In
their history. leaving the heavy travel on
the subway TO represent net gain,
More recently the Brooklyn extension
OF the subway. coupled with new bridge
transportation, has thrown some OF the
East River ferries out Of commission, but
II tunnel and bridge facilities were to
remain at their present capacity the aban-
doned ferry service would no doubt
soon have TO be restored. Meanwhile,
disregarding the growth Of travel on the
subway in 1908 on the ground that 1t may
possibly comprise a mere shifting OF East
River traffic. the experience OF the Man
haitian roads prior to the opening OF the
Brooklyn tunnel illustrates in conspicu-
Gus manner the familiar tendency OF
traffic to outstrip population in growth.
This tendency is brought out clearly
for the city as a whole in the report OF
the Public Service Commission for 1907.
The total number OF regular fare passen-
gers in the fiscal year ended June 30.
1907, was 1880. .77e. 1875, as against 1894
9s7, 1so for the year before, an increase OF
$50 per cent The percentage Of increase
in transfer passengers was nearly four
times as great. OF 1894. As an average
there were 10000 more regular fare
passengers each day in Greater New
York during 1907 than on the correspond
ing day OF tho year before. Comparison
with traffic statistics publis he'd by the
Federal Census showed that the annual
number Of regular fare riders in this town
had increased from 2si per capita Of the
population in 1890 to 3oG in 1902 and TO
SIT in 1907.
The Public Service Commissions re-
port offers no explanation OF the dispro-
portionate increase Of passenger traffic.
IL must be evident. however. that any
effective solution OF the transit problem
must have for its main object to discover
and remove the causes at work in produc-
ing so abnormal relation between growth
Of population and growth Of trsffic.