Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-15
SAMUEL M. CLEMENT
Public Service Commissioner Talks Of
Transportation and Civic Con-
ditlons In Europe

ditlons In Europe
EUROPE has made a marvelously quick
T. recovery from the effects of the great
war in many ways. but in none has she re-
vealed greater recuperative powers than In
the transportation and policing facilities OF
her largest cities, according to Samuel NJ:
Clement, Public Service Commissioner of
Pennsylvania, who has just returned from
an extensive trip abroad.
81 went abroad this summer said Mr..
Clement, with the principal thought In my
mind of q close examination of the trans
portation conditions in the large European
ceuters and of the study of civic conditions
generally. thought that in this manner l
might obtain information of how these things
were being conducted in the worlds largest
cities. and especially at the close of the
greatest war which the world has ever
known. This information was bound to be
Of service to me in my official capacity, and
thus make me better Public Service COM
missioner.
Conditions in London
London was the first place which 1
visited and found that the municipal au.
thorities there haye solved the problem or
handling the people and preventing that
congestion which is one Of the public trans
portntion problems of every great city. Inc
British metropolis, in this respect, is tar
ahead of our great American municipalities
when the British shops and factories
close each day there is, of course, an enor-
nous number of persons Immediately thrown
into the streets and thOroughfarcs of the city.
But there is nothing like the congestion in
any part of London which l saw, and l was
in nearly every part of the city, which we in
PHILADELPHIA know at. for instance. Fif-
teenth and Market or Thirteenth and Mar.
ket in the evening or at Sixty third and
Market in the morning, where In the rush
to get home or to get down town the people
form a struggling mob, and where 1t is
case of every one for himself and the
strongest ones get into the cars first
"In London the filing of the busses and
trans Is an orderly proceeding. Under the
supervision of the hobbies the people enter
the conveyances. two by two, without haste
and without disorder. There Is no confu-
sion, no showing, and ! must admit that the
vehicles are filled in this orderly manner
with more speed than our cars are filled by
our typically American manner OF getting
into them.
More Persons Handled
"And it must not be forgotten that with
this orderly method London handles a great
many more persons than Philadelphia or
for that matter, any other city in the world
This. too, in spite Of the fact that the Lon
don streets, especially in the older parts Of
the city, are far narrower than those Of
almost any American city.
I'm all Gne time Wllcn witnessed thlS
performance, which was amazing to an
American, never saw the first suggestion
of disorder. The people obeyed the officers
implicitly and without question - another
fact which is an unusual one from the
American point of view But the order was
largely maintained for that very reason |;
the officer knows exactly the traffic situation,
and when his commands are instantly and
implicitly obeyed the results are good.
Vehicles Under Same Restraint
"The vehicles. like the foot passeng gers,
are under the same admirable discipline
In all London ! never saw a congestion of
yehicular traffic such as we see in Philadel-
phia on Broad street between Locust and
the Public Buildings on Orchestra afternoons
or on opera nights. The drivers Of the We
hicles Of every description obey the COM
mands of the officers, and there is never any
trying to get across after the signal to stop
has been given or any other of the many
| familiar infraCtions of the traffic laws which
every American city sees thousand times
every day.
"'The result of all this Is that the streets
Of London are perfectly safe at all times
| for the foot passenger, and made easy for
| the vehicular driver to get around with his
car or other conveyance without loss of time
and with minimum amount of risk to him
| self and to others,
THE taxis, too. are admirably managed.
| They are not allowed to stand around in
| indiscriminntc groups and places such as
| the mass of taSis which we are accustomed
| e. see before our great hotels and in other
lhaces around the city. They have their
lblic stands and they are Obliged TO remain
iere until summoned to take up passengers
THE taxis themselves are well equipped