New-York tribune., 1918-08-04
Public To Be Educated" to
Change While Stations
Are Being Altered
Hylan. Views Crowds
Mayor Suggests Double Decks
at Times Square and Grand
Central as Relief

tlal Improvement yesterday. Reinforce
ments Of Interborough employees, as
we'll as police, were able 80 bring some
semblance Of order out Of the chaotic
conditions which existed at the Times
Square end Grand Central stations the
day before.
The Improvement did not dissuade
the Public Service Commission from
disseminating the shuttle service be-
tween Times Square and tho Lexington
Avenue Line at Forty-second Street
as measure Of public safety. This
service was stopped at midnight last
night and will not be resumed until
the stations at these points are par
TALLY reconstructed bettex to meet the
demand upon them.
Fewer Try to Change Cars
Announcement that tho shuttle SER
vice would be discontinued had It's ef-
feet in relieving the congestion at
Forty-second Street. More passengers
remained on the through trains up and
down the West and East sides and did
not attempt to transfer. The lower leg
Of the new Seventh Avenue line was
more freely patronized. where the day
before it was practically deserted by
passengers on the West Side, who per-
sisted in sticking to the old subway
route.
Hundreds, not wishing to encounter
the experiences Of the day before, used
the elevated lines to and from the
downtown sections.
Transfers To Be Given
Another step taken yesterday to re-
duce congestion was the agreement OF
the Interborough to provide transfer,
for passengers on the Seventh Avenue
line who wish to reach Brooklyn. They
may now change at Rector Street for
the Brooklyn trains. 1t is only a short
walk underground from the new Rec
tor Street station to the Wall Street
station Of the old subway, where the
Brooklyn trains may DO boarded.
Besides affording time for the COM
pletion Of construction work at the
shuttle stations, the discontinuance OF
that service will have its educational
value for the public in familiarizing
passengers with the use of the new
through service lines, according to
members of the Public Service Com
mission. A statement was issued by
the commission last night expressing
belief that the new East and West
Side subways, with their capacity prac-
tically double that of the old Inter
borough line, will provide an infinitely
superior service, and that passengers
will find the routes shorter, the trips
quicker and the comfort Of travel ma
terially increased as they become IA
miliar with the routes.
"The commission realizes that the
cutting off of shuttle service at Forty
second Street will dscommode a con-
siderable number Of persons on the
west side of Central Park desirous Of
reaching Grand Central or stations be-
tween Forty-second Street and Four
teenth Street on the East Side subway,
but no practical way seems available
to care for this traffic until shuttle
service can be resumed, as the recon-
struction work is advanced" the state
ment said.
Puts Blame on Public
"Months ago attention was given to
the matter of not attempting shuttle
service from Grand Central to Times
Square until part Of the reconstruct
tion was completed at these two sta
tions, but the Inconvenience to con-
siderable percentage Of passengers led
to the conclusion that shuttle service
should be attempted Immediately upon
on the East and Wests Side subways.
1t is still felt that such shuttle SER
vice would have handled the passen
gers who needed to make such trans
fer, but the shuttle service became
swamped by tremendous numbers of
passengers who in reality did not need
to transfer had they understood bet
ter how to use the two new subways.
"In the district south OF Chambers
Street it is actually more convenient
for passengers who live on the west
side Of Central Park TO take the Sew
enth Avenue trains at points in Will
lam or Greenwich streets than to take
the old subway in Broadway. This
was not realized, however, and, con-
sequently, thousands from this dis
trict took the old subway in lower
Broadway and then undertook to
transfer at Grand Central Station and
Times Square"
To Check Transfer Need
1t was estimated yesterday that not
more than so per cent of those seek
ing transfers really required them. An
effort to check back and see just what
transfer service is needed will be made
by the Interborough while the shuttle
service is closed. BY counting the
transfers issued at Rector Street for
Brooklyn the company hopes to be able
to base an estimate of the service
which will eventually be needed at the
transfer points.
At the marlborough Offices it was
denied that sufficient publicity had not
been given to the proposed changes.
Hundreds of dollars had been spent on
maps and printed instructions, it was
said, and for six months prior to the
inauguration of the system had been
distributed through civic and other or
CARNATIONS. Thursday thousands Of
leaflets were handed out in the sub
way. In addition there had been news
paper publicity. The trouble, it was
was that the public did not
read the instructions and took the
trains they had been accustomed to
using.
More Employees Needed
Members of the Public Service Com
added that the operation Of the
new lines called for an addition Of
about 1000 employees to the operating
forces Of the Interborough company.
One OF the reasons for putting Seventh
Avenue in operation on July and Lex
ington Avenue on July II ahead Of
through operation, it was said was to
allow time for expansion OF the operat
ing forces and training of the new en-
pioyes. Apparently, however, it was