The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-06
COM MI s SiONER ENRlGhT.
@ kx UMoESMooo E UNnERWooo

police did not look upon it with much
toon system was in effect and they
did not have much leisure.
Long a Trahic, Enthusiast.
DR.. Harriss had made an exhaus-
| tive study of traffic conditions in New
| York city and other cities before he
became one of Commissioner En-
rights special deputies, and he came
| to the Police Department in New York
| with many large, comprehensive and
| amazing schemes for the betterment
| of the situation. One Of his plans
which attracted much attention, and
caused considerable and violent discus
| sion among engineers and traffic au-
thorities. was the proposed double
decking Of Sixth avenue from Bryant
Park to Fifty-ninth street, as relief
to overtaxed Fifth avenue. His scheme
vas to have a roadway built on either
side of the elevated tracks on the same
level with the elevated structure. the
east roadway to be used for north
bound vehicular traffic and the road
way west of the tracks to be used by
| Southbound trafflc.
| DR.. Harriss was so certain that his
plan would succeed and he adopted by
the city that he put engineers to work
| figuring out how it could be done, but
! the scheme langHshed and died during
the hot weather last summer. Many
engineers and traffic authorities dis
agreed with DR.. Harriss. several Of
them declaring that the scheme had
been considered by every one who had
ever tackled New York's traffic prob
lem, but had always been abandoned
because 1t was impossible of achieve
ment. Among these was w. S. Tay-
lor, coauthor of the police street traffic
regulations and the engineer who pre-
scented by the traffic ordinance adopted
by the Board of Aldermen in 1908, who
declared that the scheme had been
fully considered many years ago but
was abandoned as being expensive and
absolutely useless.
DIR. Harriss proposed to the Board
Of Aldermen many ordinances designed
to relieve the traffic situation, but the
members of the board remained singu-
larly dense to most of the proposed
benefits. The new Special Deputy
added to his innovation OF giving
physicians special Identification cards
which permitted them to leave their
cars for long periods in front of houses
where they were making professional
calls by a suggestion that all truck
drivers be licensed. He also proposed
THAT all peders be barred from
thoroughfares south of Chambers
street, that all vehicles carrying ten
or more passengers be manned by a
crew of two men to prevent accidents
that the speed of light and heavy
vehicles be regulated and that hacks
be prohibited from cruising" in Fifth
and SiXtieth street.
Segregated the Streets.
One of DR.. Harrisss most ambitious
schemes was his plan for new sys-
tenn of checking traffic offenders. II
was his idea to provide traffic viola
ton cards to each motor car driver
and chauffeur, designed after the old
fashioned meal ticket. After all the
violation spaces had been punched by
policemen the issuance of summons
or the summary arrest of the offender
would follow and conviction would
result either in the suspension or rev.
ocation OF the drivers license.
DR.. Harriss was also the author OF
the scheme OF traffic regulation which
went into effect last September and
Is in effect now and which has been
called Tho most elaborate scheme OF
traffic separation and regulation ever
set up for trial" Motor car drivers
are all familiar with its workings and
there has been considerable debate
as to whether it has justified the ex-
pertinent. The consensus, however
appears to be that it has, and there is
no indication that the police propose
TO abandon 1t. The scheme provides
for two groups of streets. one on the
cast side and one on the west, along
which north and south bound com
mercial vehicles must go. Two other
groups of streets on the east anC
west sides of Manhattan are devoted
exclusively to passenger vehicles
Drivers TO whom these regulations dc
not apply are listed In circular
issued by the Police Commissioner.
Broadly speaking, the new rule,
made 1t obligatory for commercial
} vehicles going north or south on the
west side TO use West Broadway OF
Hudson street on the lower part o
the island and Sixth. Eighth. Nintl
and Tenth avenues above Washington
, Square. with short Atretches of Other