The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-08-27
VOX POPULI.
THINKS THE CITY COUNCIL
SHOULD REVERSE ITSELF


Editor Pensacola Journal.
Next Wednesday night the PROPOSE
ton to close Palafox street through
Georgia Square comes before the
council for second reading, and ere
that august body passes on so i'm
portant a matter I beg TO be heard in
opposition.
There are three very important fea-
lures attending the proposed change,
which should be considered by the
members of the council before they
give their consent to it.
First: The inconvenience which
such a change would put the vehicle
owning public to by causing each one
of the 400 vehicles which daily travel
North Palafox street at this point, to
make a circuit around the block in
order to get to destination. This in
itself should be sufficient to influence
any fair minded person against closing
the thoroughfare. The second feature
is the increased danger which would
surely result from making eight right
angle turns, or curves, where there
are none at present.
We have observed that ninety-flve
per cent of the vehicles which go
around Lee Square use the street on
the west for the reason that the in
cline on the east side is so pronounced
as to make ordinary traffic very in
convenient If not hazardous.
Now, the grade at Georgia Square
is just as steep as at Lee, which fea-
ture as has been demonstrated, would
cause the traffic to use the side street
to the west, and right here is where
the utter impra cticability of making
the change presents itself. Unlike the
corresponding curve at Lee Square we
have the streetHars turning off Pala-
fox street west into DeSoto and after
car has started to take this curve
1t is actually out Of the question for a
vehicle going south on the west side
of the square and wishing to make
the turn to the left into Palafox street,
to pass the car until same has cleared
the intersection of De Soto and the
street on the left of the square. Or
in other words, if a vehicle were going
south on the west side of the square
and a car were turning into De Soto
street off Palafox, the vehicle would
be required to wait for the car to go
nearly half a block up hill. do not
believe that this feature has ever been
presented to the aldermen, because
cannot conceive how a person could
vote to make this change knowing that
such a condition prevailed. And 1 will
add further, that when the traffic is
the heaviest, viz: early In the morn
ing, and at o'clock in the evening,
the cars are passing this point at in
tervals of minutes, and that during
the entire day there is a car every 10
minutes, and with the increased traffic
which is bound to come, as Pensacola
grows, such a turn would be very dan
gerous, impracticable, if not entirely
inadequate to meet conditions.
The third feature is the destruction
of improvements which have already
been effected in this square. Some
three or four years ago the city ap-
propriated about $500 for the purpose
of building curb stones on the east
and west sides Of the square, which
stones were duly installed, leaving only
a sixteen foot driveway, which is
ample under the present conditions,
but should the proposed change be
made these streets would necessarily
have to be widened and the curb stone
destroyed.
There is also 500 feet of six-foot
sidewalk which must be destroyed
should Palafox street be closed and all
of the largest trees in the square
would have to be sacrificed in order
to make room to widen the side streets.
have circulated a petition among
the vehicle owners of this city, Sc
curing $50 signatures, requesting the
council not to make the proposed
change, and of all the men have APP
preached regarding the subject only
one was in favor Of closing the street,
and he stated that he had not inves-
tigated the matter. but thought that
this square should be. reserved as a
park.
This shows the concensus of opinion.
and If the aldermen make any pre-
tense Of legislating according to the
wishes of their constituents they
should not overlook the fact that at
least twenty four out of every twenty
five property owners of this city are
opposed to the change.
Let us hope that they will reverse
the action of the last meeting, and
leave the square as it is.
T. T. TODD.
-@