New-York tribune., 1920-02-01
Fifth Ave. to Test
One Way Traffic
Plans Next Week
Must Be Proved Practical
To Be Retained; Coach
Company Head Unable to
Get Information on Move

Details Of the plan 70 make Fifth
Avenue q one-way thoroughfare be-
tween Fifty-ninth and Thirty-fourth
streets had not been worked out yes
terdsy. All that could be learned was
that the limiting of the avenue to south
bound raffc probably will be started a
week from tomorrow.
Special Deputy Police Commissioner
John A. Harriss, who devised the plan
in conjunction with the Fifth Avenue
association, was out Of town yeste rday.
Others at his Office would not discuss
the matter. except to make plain that
the new departure was to be an ex-
pertinent only.
"It will not be permanent unless 1t
proves thoroughly practical" it was
stated.
John A. Richie. president of the
Fifth Avenue Coach Company. said he
had been unsuccessful in his efforts to
learn anything about the scheme, in
spite Of the fact that it will materially
affect his concerns business.
II have been ip touch with Robert
G. Cooke. the president of the Fifth
Dunn. chairman Of the associations
traffic committee" Mr.. Ritchie said,
but neither could tell me anything
further than that, beginning probably
a week from Monday, only southbound
traffic will be allowed on Fifth Avenue
between Fifty-ninth Street and Thirty
fourth Street, from ten in the morning
until four in the afternoon
Mystery Surrounds Plans
u could not find out whether after
that hour the Avenue will be opened
to vehicles travelling in both directions
or restricted to those going north, nor
could l learn whether it was contem-
plated to use Park or Madison Avenue
for the traffic going in the reverse d.
rection from that on Fifth Avenue Mr..
Dunn gave it as his opinion that the
plan OF installing signal towers at the
corners OF Fifty-ninth Fifty seventh.
Forty second and Thirty-forrth streets
to synchronize the times for allowing
crosstown traffic at the different cor
plan than TIE one way feature
"This plan will have an important
efect on our business, and it seems
very strange TO me that we have not
been notified of the details. While I
cannot say that I oppose the plan, not
knowing just what it is, it will un-
doubtedly reduce the number of people
who use our busses. This will be cspe-
cially true with respect to the shopping
service which we recently inaugurated.
Almost as many people use this service
TO come to the shopping district from
tho Greenwich Village section as from
the upper East Side, and the plan will
cut off all this uptown traffic.
Patrolmen Not Impressed
Patrolmen Patrick Walsh and Thomas
Biggart, on duty at the Forty second
and Thirtyfourth Street corners Of
Fifth Avenue, respectively, were not
especially impressed with the one-way
traffic idea for that thoroughfare.
"This plan may help the traffic some,
laid Biggart. "but there are going to
De lot of accidents to pedestrians
in the beginning, ANYHOW. People are
used to expecting traffic from only one
direction on one side of the street, and
they look only that way When this
scheme goes into effect Pm afraid that
lot of people will forget. and will be
struck by autos running on the left
side of the avenue"
eff they make Fifth Avenue one
way street they'll have to have anothe r
new avenue the same size adjacent. to
carry the traffic going the other way"
2atrolman Walsh commented