The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-23

INFORMATION
ABOUT ROADS
AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSO-
CATION STARTS MOVEMENT
FOR TRAFFIC CENSUS.

Recognition of the fact that more
information is needed in determining
the proper type Of construction for
n given section of road the National
Good Roads board of the American
Automobile 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 absence of
data which the engineering profess
sion in any other branch OF their work
would have considered essential. On
this subject the "%Engineering Record'
Of March Is says:
without knowing the wear a road
has there is absolutely no way Of tell
ing whether it is good or bad:
only a careful traffic census can de-
termine this. Roads too costly have
been constructed 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 traffic census is an essential to econ
omy in nearly all road building. I'm
agine a bridge designer making plans
for a structure without anything more
than a rough guess whether it was to
be used by steam railways or trolley
cars, and we have an idea Of the alb
surdity of proceeding with road build
ing without traffic data"
Illinois in 1907, caused to be enum-
Grated the travel over the roads at
a few important points, and in March,
1913, Highway Engineer johnson
writes: Il am sure we never collected
any data on which l feel that 1 can
place greater reliability than u traf-
fic ensus data. 1t has been. all
things considered, the most satisfac-
tory investigation that we have at
tempted"
Massachusetts tried taking a traffic
census in 1909, and went into the SUBJ
ject on a larger scale in 1912. In
August and October, 1912, counts were
made at 160 stations at different points
IN the state, zach covering a full week
OF time, and twelve to eighteen hours
a day according to location. The re-
suits enable the highway commission
to make plans for not only carving the
present travel, but also provide for
the increase that is bound to come.
1t is considered, in view of the rapid
changes in traffic and traffic condi-
ton being rapidly and constantly
made, that traffic census should be
provided at least o Il times a year, of
at least a week at each period, and
should cover the principal roads en-
tering every city in a state. To be of
real value, the census should continue
for a series of years, in order to es-I
tablish a proper knowledge of the ratio
OF increase. After a few years, and
the establishment of practical stand
ards from which estimates could be
so great frequency of count
would not be necessary.
Provisions for traffic census in most
will require the enactment of
special laws, and special appropria-
lions. Compared with the saving
which would be effected in road con-
the expense would be trivial,
The figures, when made and properly
collated would be the basis. on which
highway planning would rest.