The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-02
WILL URGE COUNCIL
TO IMPROVE Street
-
Broad Street Merchants De-
clare 1t Should be Better
Lighted and Paved
THROUGHFARE Bellies
CITY.S PROGRESSlVENESS
Earnest Campaign to be Made
for More Arc Lamps at
Light Committees
Meetings.

An earnest campaign for better light
ing facilities on Broad street from Pine
street to the City Hall will be made by
night when the committee on light OF
the Council holds its regular meeting.
The boom for affording better light
to citizens and merchants along the
principal shopping street was launched
early this week and took like wild fire
All along Broad street the slogan
among the merchants Is Better light
and better paving" and they believe
their interests and the citys interests
demand the improvements.
Broad street should have smoother
paving and much better lights" said
MIR. Rhoads, of Miller IL Rhoads, Sat
urday. at would be difficult to find
another city OF the size and importance
of Richmond with its principal business
thornnghfarr- SO poorly lighted and so
roughly paved. Either granoiithic
blocks or asphalt should be laid on
Broad street to lessen the deafening
clatter of heavy wagons passing over
IL and preventing conversation either
personally or by telephone in. store
while the vehicles are moving.
Should 30 Up-te-dats.
That Broad street, as the shopping
and retail center of the Capital City,
should be show street, with the best
facilities afforded buyers and sellers,
is the opinion of all the storekeepers
on the thoroughfare.
Although much has been said about
widening the sidewalks on Broad
street, among many merchants the
opinion prevails that the pavements
are already wide enough anu that the
countless show cases, jutting out on the
sidewalk three or four feet from the
building line. should be withdrawn en-
tireiy, or Il foot or more closer to the
stores In front of which they are
placed.
IL wac pointed out by several mer-
chants Saturday that, aside from the
CHATTER the ccbblestonss cause and their
antIquated appearance in an up-to-
date business city-the gateway be-
tween The North and Sonth~-the
rough paving In the center OF the street
~ unhygienic. because gaping noles are
carved in the surface by heavy trucks
and the great volume OF travel and
water and dirt settle in them. ON
rainy days pools of murlIy water stand
in these holes and when the sun shines
upon them dark. unhealthy yapor
rises from them.
There is need for better grading on
Broad street. according 10 merchnts
ON that thoroughfare and Throughout
committee on streets might well give
considerable thought to this subject.
A city ordinance provides that the
street space taken up by the fraction
company and three feet on either side
OF the outside rails should be paved.
This space il said to oe not In good
repair. II liz further inttmated that as
Law requires the company To pave this
franchised space with the same mate
els \
biockf or asphalt were used, the CEN
trail portion OF the highway would Ike
wise be resarfaced 1T the company
expense. thus leaving about forty feet
on either side of the street TO be re-
surfaced by the city.
Seek Light First.
While the merchants are giving their
particular attention to interesting the
Council in providing better lights and
more OF them along Broad street. 40
ss 10 make il more befitting the spirit
Of progressiveness and business of the
CITY. they are also much Interested IN
.he idea of having II better SURFACE 10
the thoroughfare.
With regard TO the lights the mer-
chants say the system of having arc
lights in the center OF the streets al
the intersection Of streets is not only
out OF date, but inadequate. In cities
much smaller than Richmond and of
far less Importance as business or his
toric centers. the arc lights are huns
on poles erected on the street corners
AT the edge OF the sidewalk, and there
are not only lights on the corners. but
two in the middle OF the blocks, one on
either side OF the street. This is the
system which the merchants believe
should be adopted by the Richmond
Council