New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-23
Much Money Expended on Roads
That Are Unsuitable.

Recognizing the fact that more inforinh-
ton is needed in determining the proper
tyne OF construction for any given section
Of road. the national good roads board OF
the American Automobile Association IS
convinced that steps should be taken III
every state in the Union TO gather such
data as will show the number. character
and approximate weights of vehicles pass
ing over the principal roads.
The failure OF many reads TO stand up
under traffic IS due not. as many persons
suppose. 10 inferior materials and work.
manship. but 10 the lack OF preliminary
information as 70 the traffic the road was
expected TO stand Consequently, rosns
have been built which would have lasted
for wears under other travel conditions
now they are ruins. due TO the absence oil
data which the engineering profession IN
anv other branch of their work wouid
have considered essential. On this SUD
iect "The Engineering Record" Of March
u says:
Without knowing the wear road mas
there is absolutely no way OF tellihs
whether II is good or bad; only careiui
traffic census can determine this. ROADS
too costly have been constructed In some
places; in other places roads unsuited 10
the traffic have been built. In view Of
this well known fact 1t is evident that a
traffic census is an essential 10 ccohoh'!
I'm nearly all road building. Imagine d
bridge designer making plans for a struct-
IRE without anything more than a rough
guess whether il was TO be used by steam
RAILWAYS or trolley cars and we have an
idea of the absurdity Of proceeding with
road building without traffic data
In 1851 the State OF Illinois caused TO
be enumerated the travel over the roaus
at few important points. Only re-"
days ago Highway Engineer Johnson
wrote: II am sure we never COZ
lected any data on which ] feel that
can place greater reliability than our
traffic census data. II has been. all Things
considered, the most satisfactory inVesu-
| CATION that we have attempted.
Massa chusetts tried taking trafflc CEN
sus I'm 1909. and went into the subject on
a larger scale in 1917 In August ana
October. 1912 counts were made at leJ
stations at different points I'm the state
each covering "A full week of time, ana
twelve TO eighteen hours a day, according
/ IN location The results have enabled the
| Highway Commission TO make plans for
not only carrying the present travel, but
also 10 provide for the increase that Is
! bound TO come.
II is considered. in view Of the rapid
changes I'm traffic and traffic conditions
being RAPIDLY and constantly made. that
a census should be provided at least four
times "A year, for at least week at each
period. and should cover the principal
roads entering every city in a state. To
be of real value tho census should con
time for a series of years. In order to
establish a proper knowledge of the ratio
of increase. After a few years and the
establishment of practical standards from
which estimates could be made so great
| frequency OF count would not he neces-
sary.
Provisions for traffic census in most
states would require the enactment of
| snecial laws and special appropriations.
Compared with the saving which would
he effected in road construction, the eX-
nense would be trivial. The figures. when
made and properly collected, would be
tho basis on which all highway planning
| would rest.