The Washington times., 1911-09-11
TRANSIT IN WASHINGTON
AND OTHER CITIES.

city as good and as cheap transporta-
tion as a city of Washington's size
and circumstances is entitled to enjoy.
Speaking generally, cities in Washing
tons class are entitled to about the
best street car service. They provide
sufficient volume and density of traffic
to make profits possible, without in
volving the huge expenses which must
be incurred in lands, damages, and
! overhead or underground construction
in cities like New York or Chicago.
Building some of the elevated rail
roads in Chicago has involved the pur-
chase of vast amounts of the most
valuable lands for right-ofway. Atop
of this, buildings must be torn down
wholly or in part, and huge bills for
damages must be paid.
Constructing a subway is still
more expensive operation, for the ex-
penses in land, engineering, construc-
Ftion, and protection of adjacent struc-
lures are heavier.
Compare these conditions, which must
be met in the greatest cities, with the
simple problem which is placed before
rapid transit engineers in Washington.
Here, it is only necessary to take pos
session of a wide avenue and construct
conduits and tracks; engineering diff
ficulties are comparatively nil, and
damages unimportant. Such dangerous
congestions as are familiar in the Chi
cago loop district and at the Brooklyn
bridge in New York are unknown.
All these elements have need of
serious consideration in connection with
a study of Washington's transit situ-
alton. 1t is most fortunate for this
city that at last a man equipped for
intelligent consideration of all the fac
tors is going to undertake a study of
our transportation system. Repre-
sentative Doremus of Detroit has had
intimate part in directing the relations
between the government and the trac-
tion companies of that city. He I'M
derstands the business. He knows its
problems. He can be relied upon to
give his best knowledge and experience
to the inquiry.
The time for such a thorough, de-
tailed consideration of Washington's
problem is right now. "A few more
years will see this city taking on the
proportions, developing the problems,
of a metropolis. There ought to be
anticipation of that time and its con-
ditions.
We have two important street rail
way systems. The pretense of COM
petition is maintained; but in fact the
community is denied any benefits of
competition-if such there be in the in
ternal transit business of city-and
estopped from claiming the advantages
of cooperation. Nobody wants street
car competition; everybody wants CO.
ordination and cooperation with the
view to serving the public through the
most effective management of the en-
tire system as a unit. That is Just
what the present conditions make i'm
possible.
Does anybody dream that the Capital
Traction Company and the Washington
Railway and Electric Company COM
pete in any fashion that helps the pub
lie to better service!
Does anybody doubt that their SER
vice is more expensive, and therefore
poorer, by reason of the added expense
of maintaining separate organizations
Take transfers. The companies pro-
test against inter-company transfers
on the ground that it would be forcing
them to- give a service without pay;
taking property without due process
of law" That defense is plausible so
long as there are two companies; no
longer. Ergo, there should not be two
companies.
These are among the questions which
the Doremus study is going to put be-
fore the city and Congress in telling
presentation.
d, Along with these, naturally comes
the problem of forcing the lines in the
downtown districts to grant trackage
rights to suburban and interurban
lines, so that all cars may be run
directly to the heart of the city. Mr..
Doremus is insistent that these re-
forms ought to and can be secured for
Washington if the right kind of a
fight is made. -.
1t looks as if the day of modern
transit conditions were dawning on
Washington.