The sun., 1918-10-16
BROADWAY Is NOW
Ikea CEMETERY
Business Men, Outspoken in
Condemning Some Of New
Traffic Rules.
O'BRIEN HEARS PLANTS
Merchants Demand Lafayette
st., 18th Ave. and Park Ave.
Be- Open to All.

From the traffio standpoint. BROAD
way is now q cemetery" according to
one spokesman for the many representa-
tives of big and little businesses, who met
In the Merchants Association rooms. In
the wooiworth Building. yesterday after
noon to talk over with the Police De-
partment the problems growing out OF
the new mercantile and passenger car
traf'ic regulations recently put In force
here
The Police Department was repre-
scented by Police Inspector John O'Brien,
head Of the traff1o section Of the force,
who, with Secretary 8. c. Mead OF the
Merchants Association. sat on the dais
and told the merchants and their repre-
sentatives present to air freely. their
knocks or boosts of the Police Depart
ments elaborate plan for eNpediting
Manhattan's vehicular traffic. The po-
lice want to help the merchants. Inspec-
tor O'Brien told the assemblage, and
therefore he should be glad TO take back
TO Commissioner Enright whatever IDEAS
the business men might wish to offer.
Little Praise Given.
There were few pnans over the new
rulings by the merchants, especially
when the present practice Of keeping
mercantile vehicles or the Lafayette
street-Fourth avenue north and south
route was under discussion-which was
throughout most of the afternoon. II
the business men object to the mercan-
tile routes prescribed for the West Side
of Manhattan they made no mention OF
the fact yesterday. but they were en-
phatic in their plea that Lafayette street.
Fourth avenue and. IL possible, Park
avenue. be opened to all classes OF traffic.
broadway 10 now a cemetery" since
IL was turned over exclusively to out
Ing and passenger Carrying vehicles, In
sisted the speakers. because the drivers
Of the lighter class cars do not care to be
held up by the Broadway cars. Every
time a Broadway trolley car stopssa a
corner the motorist must stop also, the
city ordinances prescribing that auto
mobiles must not pass closer than eight
feet to a standing surface car. and as
this Is impossible in a great part OF mar
row Broad p way the motorist of the
fast moving automobile seeks other
north and south routes. leaving Broad
way cemetery"
Chief among the objections of the
merchants as voiced at the meeting yes
terday was the lack OF a commercial
north and south route between Third
and Sixth avenues. Most fervently ex-
pressed Of all the beliefs was that in
war stressed times like these CONNER
cial traffic should have priority" II
priority between pleasure cars and
trucks Is to be given at all.
Gasoline Waste Charged.
The excessive use of gasolene. cleo
trical motive power and man power
while zigzagging back and forth to make
deliveries played n big part in the bust
ness mems arguments against certain
parts OF the traffic rules now In force.
Also they all made serious objection to
what they declared an unintelligent
Interpretation on the part OF many
policemen of the rule governing slow
moving trafilc. Various speakers gave
what they said was first hand testimony
Of instances where pushcarts, especially
on the East River bridges, would hold
up the normal progress OF long lines OF
trucks and other commercial vehicles
because the traff1c cops would not per-
NIT truck drivers these days to swing
out even for the few seconds Il would
take to pass the pushcart.
Inspector O'Brien made note Of the
complaints against barring the CONNER
cial wagons and trucks from Lexington,
Park. Madison and Fifth avenues, the
troubles of the truck horse drivers
""ose "asS are torplouen the use or
streets and avenues paved with Belgian
block, the demands for reopening of
Lafayette street and Fourth avenue.
The inspector said he could not, OF
course, commit the Police Commits
sioner' as TO future policies. but as
sured the bushes men that he would
submit their suggestions to Commits
sioner Enright, in the belief that, granted
little time. the traffic plan will have
been perfected to the point OF public
anprnyaI