The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-06-29

Tkrss Ssos SlySge -

joeooA3e0l
WaeAinesea, June S70tsea ~,
eoo1oo aGGon0atleo aA1 ~ Dgoe-
peet a N ineroooo ~ 49,
eacA yeaS; ma1p elleWanco ~ tAoI
seeady gfUWth q poDalnk1oo -
he bet that IL inereaoeo = -
aAt0e ard psoDas @ h1goay ~
swell the city crowds QnooetoA-
how b &C them comfortably INTO
city streets already o0noeeteA. 1Ais
IL the knotty problem which tra11c
experts and snginserD are facing.
New Tort Aas reoontly uo6e .
revolutionary change ~ turning
BroedWay into . one-wAy street. In
the evening when cars crowd into
the Stroots that contain llo thea
tres. Chicago Is making Michigan
ovonue . double-0eek street In .
part Of the downtown section. And
the critical situations In these cit
les ere not % signi0caat ~ n
soma. others.
We are always hearing OF con-
gested streets in New York and
Chicago. But when indianapolis
has to make IT. aftsriAl thorough
fares one-way streets, carrying
trafic only into town In the morn
ing and only outward at night:
when underground parking spaces
are bstng urged for Warrington;
when . tunnel for vehicles Is
bplanned for Pittsburgh, and when
almost every city Of any size keeps
it, downtown tratlic moving 1t
rush hours only BY one-way streets
and Q regiment OF traflc officers.
the situation can easily be regard
Cd - coming to IN acute stage.
Nearly all OF our cities were
planned or grew up when horses
were the standard Of trafic. Thefe
was no thought Of arranging streets
% that In some future swift decade
motors could speed one way along
one street and back along q par
allel thoroughfare. Nor was there
any engineer prophet 70 plan
| N60AHoS tu0 StkuU Wu0R Az hOSs
would be cut on each side OF Q
street BY long rows of parked cars.
Even when the automobile hove
into sight and all sorts of extray-
tagant predictions we're made re
garding its use. cities went on Al
lowing monumental ONCE buildings
to be built close down to narrow
pavements. 80 that widening bust
ness district. and streets radiatinE
impossibiy expensive.
Some cities are widening streets
by cutting down sidewalk space
but this is likely to cause sidewalk
congestion.
| Danger OF Wide Streets.
At the other extreme. cities with
very wide streets are having their
difficulties. too. Washington at-
tributes a large share Of its acct
dents to the broad avenues where
pedestrians have 30 great q dis
lance to cover In crossing the
street, and SO many rows Of earl
/ pass at a time. At one danger
zone, Thomas circle, the city ID
even considering Q widening Of the
circle 30 as to narrow the roadway
around 1t. A number of accidents
have occurred there.
The model suggested for . city
street system il . rectangular
checkerboard Of streets Of modeF.
ate width In the center for bust
ness street. and streets radiatins
out from that In all directions. But
plans to change existing contours
even those involving slight chang
es, are difficult to put into execu-
ton. For the most part cities will
have to stay just as they grew
with streets narrow or wide. to-
straight or too crooked.
The problem OF how to 1T more
people and vehicles into . given
space will probably have to b.
solved eventually by using subway
and elevated passages for them
just as they are now used for street
cars. This is an old proposal. II
was suggested for New York as fal
back rs the sixties, and its possi.
bilities have been explained any
number Of times since BY inventive
} engineers. New York 10 ct last
about to try out the experiment.
l A vehicular tunnel. long discuss.
ed, 10 soon to b built under thu
Hudson river to relieve ferry con
gestion, and q plan il being consid'
cred to reduce the width of the
Fifth avenue sidewalk BY half AND
Ito build either overhead or under.
ground sidewalks to accommodate
pedestrians.
Il The latter. project, It Is shown
J would simplify street traffic BY
giving it about 81 per cent m0rs
space. 1t wcuid increase the amount
of space available for pedestrians
, ~-r~nA ALE ~ -