New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-16
London Grew
Into Chaos. but
This City SIM
ned with De-
liberation.

TF THE hardened European traveller arr!v-
ing in New York were to have his i'm.
n pressons OF the traffic and transporta
ton problem Of the city finally settled by
his first ride-from the docks to his uptown
hotel in a taxi-he would receive impress
sion that would be entirely false For II there
is worse taxi driver than the average New
York taxi driver. he is not 10 be found in
Europe For him the commonplace statement
that the prior right is the pedestrians is not
one of the eternal verities but opinion that
time has disproved. Speed is not in itself at
all dangerous; il is the unforeseen obstacle
that causes the danger. To the taxi driver,
that freebooter OF the highway, the rights OF
life and OF property do not appeal. The
scythes on the chariot OF Boadioes were no
less gentle 20 the Romans.
The regulation OF traffic is TO a city what
the action Of the heart is TO the human body
BY its proper regulation or control, the cir
culation is either good or bad. AS study it
may be dissected into three factors-the
pedestrian, the haphazard vehicles, and the
public service Into the composition OF the
last named enter the subway. street cars. ele-
waited and motor omnibuses By no stretch OF
courtesy can the taxs be brought into this
class. And Of the three factors the most
difficult Of control is the pedestrian.
PEDESTRIANISM A NEGLECTED ART
IN NEW YORK
II the ultimate aim Of scientific education is
to prolong life and establish sehconTol
it is evident that the universities should
establish degree for pedestrlanism. No
man in New York, it may be assumed,
walks for the pleasure OF walking. Nine out
of ten people are unfit to cross the street be-
cause their education in street crossing is
neglected. or because they do not drive auto
mobiles Only by holding the steering wheel
OF an automobile for at least 10000 miles can
the best method OF learning to cross New
York street on foot be acquired. Alter such
experience the pedestrian graduates Will be
qualified TO cross from the Fifth Avenue
Building to the south side OF East Twenty
third Street at high noon or explore the
theatre section Of Broadway at night This
would indeed be the higher knowledge. It's
lack is the cause OF half the traffic troubles,
for the efficiency Of traffic and transportation
must be measured by the limits Of the meanest
order OF intelligence as displayed by the aver
ageage woman in crossing the street The
other half OF the traffic troubles arise from
the chartered hbertines who drive the taxs
and the alleged drivers OF horsed delivery
wagons
NEW YORK AS CITY HAS NOT
SINNED IGNORANTLY.
New York as a city is even worse devised
than London. London merely grew into
chaos by reason OF streets being built when
(but not where and how they were needed.
New York on the other hand sinned IN Its
planning with its eyes open. Because the
Island Of Manhattan is long and narrow, the
planners went out Of their way to provoke not
70 relieve congestion; and the effect is
palpable TO all. 1t is certainty that any
similar long narrow island should have twice
as many avenues running lengthwise and half
the number OF cross streets, as mas Man
haitian. With this truism staring them IN the
face, the City Fathers then made matters IN
describably worse by permitting the erection
OF the elevated railways, thereby preventing
the avenues in which these were allowed
from fulfilling their functions.
The present Board OF Estimate does right
to insist on efficiency. But what is It? En-
cheney may be defined as the highest pitch OF
productivity coupled with the most stringent
economy With transportation, the factors
determining efficiency mean something more
They combine speed, safety, service and com
fort. How is New York served in this re-
spect7
WITH THE MERGING OF INTERESTS TRAFFIC
BECOMES COHERENT.
fair basis Of comparison would be TO take the
esse Of London The problems which have to be
,olved in dealing with London transportation are
b.ipe solved by man who learned his business
., Detroit and in Newark, in the person OF sir
Albert Il Stanley, chairman Of the vast trust
which with the exception Of the London County
Council streetcars, controls the traffic problem
Of the English capital. For years the SPeyer
group Of bankers had been gradually buying up
the interests Of the various subway and motor
omnibus lines and reached their eliminating ell
fort about eighteen months ago, when all the com
netting and conflicting interests were weIdea TO-
eether. Prior 20 that time there had oeen COM
,e,ition "a unserviceable 20 the public as u was
disastrous 10 the corporations; but the merging
OF interests gave London conference IN us pas
,enger traffic. II fair argument ior tne
theoretical commuuistic believers IN the trust sys-
TEN; II was practical proof TO those who believed
that the transportation problems Of big city are
70 interdependent that there should be one cenie
Of control.