The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-26
WOODS TO SPEED UP
TRAFFIC ON AVENUE
Commissioner Will Test Plan Of
Moving Vehicles in Five
Block Units.
sTN\PHORE NAY BE USED
Ionr IIauls to BE Discouraged
h, changing the "Swing"
of Travel.
SEM\PHORE NAY BE USED

nov plan for speeding traffic IN
r.f.t s,,w, has been preached by THE
&c., 90 Police Commissioner Woods It
chances 20 he identical with a scheme
Mr. Wood himself had in mind and he in
,.-ds 10 give II thorough trial
re nlsn is TO move traffic up and down
o.. avenue Ave blocks or so at a time
-. advantages sought are saving OF time
and NOR. comfortable travelling. The
r.s p.r nave to he accomplished by a
.sm,rlore device or by some method in
Which policemen can signal trafflc as
Uni. 'or several blocks
r.. .d,a Is 10 stop east and west bound
vehicles a. I've consecutive crossings.
slousng vehicles on the avenue to move
ror.1 and south for Ave blocks before
n,-F halted Then after an interval for
east and west traffic to cross the avenue
,he,e would come another Ave block leap
for vehicles on the avenue.
n order that the policemen at nve
cros.ne, can give the same signal at the
,arrc instant a semaphore system could
he installed On short stretch OF the
aveuu'
One Flaw to Re Corrected.
7, by said that this system OF moving
traffic m I'VE block units has been tried
in Fifth avenue after a fashion. but with
out success. but Commissioner Woods
does not believe the idea had fair test.
Such experiments as have been made with
II have pointed 10 but one flaw This is
the large amount Of swing trsffic--east
and west hound vehicles which are seeking
merely TO swing into Fifth avenue
some figures are said 10 have shown
,ha. 20 per cent OF the traffic reaching
Fifth avenue from the cross streets is
swug traffic. So great is the perez ntage
that the early and rather inconclusive ex-
perments with the hve block system were
thrown INTO great confusion. II has been
pointed ou' that this element OF swing
traific can be much diminished Here Is
an example to show how II works at
present
A man living in East Forty-seventh
tre,t wishes 70 90 to place on the
vest de ~ Fifth avenue between Eigh-
tenth and Nineteenth streets. His
NFlN"F swings from Fast fnTiN-seNtntn
street across Fifth avenue and proceeds
down FIFTH avenue on the westerly side
20 his destination. The turn from East
Fortv-ss veuth street To the westerly side
~ Filth avenue has been awkward. tend
ing 10 obstruct vehicles in West Forty
seventh street wishing to cross the ave-
nue. and proceed east And one more
motto. car has been added 10 the ave-
rue, overgreat burden for twenty-eight
blocks. practically the whole distance OF
u.s. journey.
Win the avenue traffic moving Ave
blocks at a time this mans turn into
and down F,fth avenue might be impos-
bic. Assuming the block from Forty
Sytl street 20 Forty-seventh street on
h, westerly side to be filled with vehicles
waiting FOR the chance to move five blocks
'I-,Hnr down the newcomer would be
forced back and halted squarely In the
path of Vehicles seeking to get east and
we,' through l'rty-seventh street. What
ought %, TO do9
IT, OBVIOUS and only sensible thing
'3' his i5tv' Ter Is not to try to turn
d "' ! MI a,enue, but to shot through
Fort seventh street to Sixth avenue,
va0h b, uuDongested, and proceed down
;a.' 90 Nineteenth street, through Nine
ut.'u .Hr.t tp Fifth avenue. turn the
.oC.. tH4 n 4 h.mselt at his destination.