Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-08
SKIP-STOPS AND COASTING.
Not Effective as Remedies for Traffic
Congestion.

To the Editor of The Star:
1t is evident to the patrons of the street
railways that there are several things
which are radically wrong. Mr.. Beeler,
who, with his corps of experts. who came
here to study the congestion in local
traffic and to remedy it, is about a far
today from solving the problem as they
were when he came here nearly three
months ago. His activities seem to be
directed chiefly to the skip-stop and coast
ing device, a measure to save coal at the
power stations. which means, TO the rail-
roads less cost in operation and help to
pay dividends. 1t is not only during the
rush hours that we have too few cars
in operation. but during the non-rush
hours also. Permit me to give you one of
the daily instances of the method of oper-
alton and schedules the 9th street
Georgia avenue and Soldiers Home line,
during the latter part of the evening, from
10 p m. to 11:30 I'm. Arriving at 9th and
G. streets. point OF transfer. I waited
thirty-four minutes for a Soldiers Home
car. A Takoma park car doomed up at
1913 pm, a Forest Glen car at 1852.
Both OF these cars We're loaded above
their capacity The Forest Glen car,
when it stopped at 9th and G. streets. took
six minutes to discharge five passengers
and take on four, the passengers strug
Cling TO reach the center door. 1t is re-
NDlilllS TO our nature 10 see woman pas
Sengers struggling in such dense mass
of humanity, tearing the buttons off their
coats i'll order to try to reach the street
through the exit. which is the entrance
also. When a Soldiers Home car came
along. at II :04 T. m. I was just barely able
to get inside the center post to allow the
door to be closed, and the conductor had
the nerve to tell me 10 move forward.
The seating capacity of that type of car
is forty eight | counted sixty passen-
ntal
of los passengers, or 125 per cent over its
seating capacity. This case is typical of
the kind OF service given the public dur
ing this period of the evening Five cars
ran on the 18th street line at that time
to three on the 9Th street line. although
the 18th street service is considered very
poor.
our population is daily increasing. and
no provisions are made to put on any new
rolling stock in service. None has been
bought by the company for over three
years. The cars used are becoming more
dilapidat ted every day, for one can see
them hauling or pushing dead cars to
the barns at all times of the day, due to
WORKOUT and faulty equipment and poor
handling in operation. Expert Beeler in
rernedying traffic congestion in Washing
ton, has about as much chance as a hog
has of climbing a creased pole, while the
present standard of equipment is main
tanned by the Washington Railway and
Electric Company. The center-door type
of cars, where entrance and exit takes
place at the same point, must be either
rebuilt relegated to the scrap pile. and
the company has been rebuilding them
since they first made their appearance on
the streets of Washington a few years
ago. More cars of practical design. train
ed men to operate them. and a living wage
to the employe are some of the conditions
which must be met to increase efficiency
in the operation of the street ears. Meth
err company will accept universal trans
fers. which is another tooth out of the
gear of efficient operation, and which, if
adopted by both companies, would go
long way toward relieving congestion.
would further suggest that before any
further rolling stock is purchased by the
street car companies plans and specifica-
tons be submitted to the Public Utilities
Commission for approval. J. ]. DORE,.