New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-30
CENSURES CLOSED ROADS
Touring Club Protests Against
Action of Contractors.
FEW DETOURS PROVIDED
Organization Will Try to Have
Law Passed Doing Away
with Annoyance.

Automobiles who have toured for an,
distance this season through the countr,
and particularly over the popular Eastern
trunk routes, have had many occasions 2,
p-otest against the system usually adopted
nv road contractors IN closing Impor:as,
sections Of the highways for long period,
while undergoing repair. So aagrant Ia,
this practice become in many places. and
particularly in the central and western PARA
OF New York, that many inquiries haTs
been made of the Touring Club q AMER
lea. asking IL there IS any law compelling
the contractors TO oDen a suitable dstour
when the main route Is undergoing repair.
In the interest Of tourists this condition
OF affairs was brought to the attention os
&. Percy Hooker. chairman Of the View
York Highway Commission, and IN reply
ing 10 Frederick Fl. Elliott. secretary o.
the Touring Club. he explained that the sx-
listing law stipulates that when highway
is closed a new location must be provided.
even by the construction Of a temporary
highway to be used by the travelling pub
lie. eff practicable" White the intent Of
the law thus seems directed toward eaus-
ing "a little Inconvenience as possible %
TRAVELLERS upon the highway, the words
IF practicable" naturally give the town o.
fciaIs and contractors an opportunity %
evadIng the requirement to provide tenn
porary road. So vigorous have the protests
become that an effort viii probably b
made toward modifying this statute. 50
that when roads are closed for any length
OF time. necessitating. as is often the case.
q detour Of many miles before reaching ths
main highway again. a satisfactory pas
sage may be provided By the contractor.
This contention D. the Touring Club %
America has received prompt support. with
a view TO obtaining more careful conssd-
Grafton Of the rights of motorists, and IN
speaking OF the fluctuations that tourists
have encountered by the closing OF high
WAYS in New York State Joseph ". Jones.
president OF the Touring Club. who last
week returned from a ten days tour
through New York and Pennsylvania, said;
The roads about Buffalo have been torn
I'D to such an extent that ii has been prac-
ticallv impossible 10 leave the city in any
direction without the necessity Of long de-
tours The two main approaches to the city
Of Rochester from the east have been
closed tGT SOME dAAA Tic 1C-%++1S 1850
make a long and tedious detOur to get
around the sections which are closed %
travel I was informed that at one time
but a single road was open 70 travel out
of Auburn At 10 time during the season
could one motor from Syracuse to Albany
or from Syracuse to Buffalo along the main
travelled route
II has been suggested, and many proEni-
uent motorists have given the suggestion
their approval. that bill should be draft
ed to amend the highway law so as to abol-
ish the road closed" sign except in special
cases.
Chairman Hooker Of the State High Tay
Commission is authority for the statement
that from the experience gained during the
last year a large proportion Of the annoy
ance Of making detOUrs can be avoided IN
planning future road repair and improve
ment. He also says that upward Of one
thousand miles of state roads have been
oiled during the last year, and. while much
of the oiling has been done in manner
which has brought forth severe criticism, it
IS the intention to oil the roads next year
upon a square yardage basis and provide
more rigid supervision by the department.