The Tupelo journal., 1913-05-23
MUST SUIT TRAFFIC
important PoiSt in the ConStruc-
ton of Roads.
NEED OF THE PROPER DATA
American Automobile Association
Makes Assertion That Many High
ways Are Ruined Because Nee
essary Information at the
start Was Lacking.

Recognition of the fact that more
information Is needed In determining
the proper type of construction for
any given section of road, the national
good roads board of the American Au-
tomobile association is convinced that
proper steps should be taken In every
state in the Union to gather such data
as will show the number, character
and approximate weights of vehicles
passing over the principal roads.
The failure of many roads to stand
up under the traffic is due, not as
many persons suppose to inferior ma
terials and workmanship, but to the
lack of preliminary information as to
the traffic the road was expected to
stand. Consequently roads have been
built which would have lasted for
years under other travel conditions;
now they are ruins, due to the alb
sence of data which the engineering
profession in any other branch OF
their work would have considered es-
sential. On this subject the Engineer
ing Record says:
Without knowing the wear a road
has, there is absolutely no way OF
telling whether it is good or bad; only
a careful traffic censu can determine
this. Roads too costly have been con-
structed in some places; In other
places roads unsuited to the traffic
have been built. In view of this we'll
known fact it is evident that a traf-
fc census is an essential to economy
in nearly all road building. Imagine
a bridge designer making plans for a
structure without anything more thai
a rough guess whether it was to be
used by steam railways or trolley cars,
and we have an idea Of the absurd1ty
of proceeding with road building
without traffic data"
Illinois in 1907 caused to be emu
merated the travel over the roads at
a few important points, and in March.
1913, Highway Engineer Johnson
writes: II am sure we never collected
any data on which l feel that can
place greater reliability than our traf-
fc census data 1t has been, all
things considered, the most sat,sfac-
tory investigation hat we have ever
attempted"
Massachusetts tried taking a traffic
census in 1909, and went into the
subject on a larger scale in 1912. In
August and October, 1912, counts
we're made at 100 stations at different
points in the state, each covering a
full week of time, and twelve to eigh-
teen hours a day, according to loca-
ton. The results enable the highway
commission to make plans for not only
carrying the present travel, but also
to provide for the increase that is
bound to come.
1t is considered, in view of the rapid
changes in traffic and traffic condi-
tons being rapidly and constantly
made, that traffic census should be
provided at least four times a year, Of
at least a week at each period, and
should cover the principal roads enter
ing every city in a state. To be Of
real value the ems should continue
for a series of years, in order to estab-
lish a proper knowledge of the ratio
of increase. After a few years, and
the establishment of practical stand
ards from which estimates could be
made, so great frequency Of count
would not be necessary.
Provisions for traffic census in most
states will require the enactment Of
special laws and special a%ppropria-
tions. Compared with the saving
which would be effected in road con-
struction the expense would be trivial.
The figures, when made and properly
collated, would be the basis on which
all highway planning would rest.