Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-07
uopERS STREET TRANSPORTATION.

Navor Hylan advances some good arguments
IN favor of buses on the streets OF New forA
in place of the present surface cars. Aho"lns
Cor the mayors prejudices against the traction
companies. persons who are unbiased VIII ao-
mir that the proper kind OF buses properly
operated have many advantages over the pres
ent trolley car.
7, arguing in favor of buses. however, let
q, ha understood at the outset that 1t is an en-
4irelv different kind of bus from those now IN
common use in this section that is favored
rbs buses we have in mind TO take the place
n, the trolley car are OF the low. undressing
v.r,etv spch as are in use in some of the middle
western cities.
In view of the development in street trans
nartaton in recent years the trolley car is about
as antiquated as the horse car was when the
,ro,lev was introduced. In the first place, the
trolley line cutters up the streets with insight
Nv poles, maintains a dangerous heaviiy-cnars-
ed electric wire overhead and occupies the
middle of the street with a track that keeps the
pavement in more or less deplorable condition
an N. time. The condition of Smith street
mr. the present time Is q fair sample. Repeated
letters to the Public Service calling their at
tention to the disgracefui state of affairs on
Smith street are NOT eve
Buses would do away with all this. They
require no poles. no heavily charged electric
wire and no track. The trolley cars. often with
fiat wheels, make a terrible clatter as they pass
along and even cause a vibration in the build
ings along the street. The buses run smoothly
and quietly excepting for the screech whistle
which could be remedied by ordinance.
The trolley car dumps its passengers on I'M
tremendously in the middle Of the street and
the people are left to make their own way as
best they can to the sidewalk. The bus on
The other hand, glides quietly up alongside the
curb and permits the passenger to step direct
iy onto the sidewalk.
This also has its advantage in not delaying
>rafic generally. When a trolley car stops at
= corner to take on or let off passengers all
other vehicles must halt until the trolley moves
"a again, But the bus can take on or dis
charge passengers up against the curb without
in the least interfering with other traffic.
Trolley cars can run only where the tracks
are laid and then there is considerable annoy
ance and delay waiting on sidings for cars to
pass. The bus can be routed on any street
where traffic warrants carrying people direct
TO their door and once on its way the bus
keeps going smoothly and quickly
one of the objections advanced to the bus
is that it helps congest the busy streets with
hat much more traffic. This in true If the bus
S to be operated along with the trolley. but
with the trolley cars eliminated and the tracks
removed from the streets there would be much
more room for all kinds of traffic on the city's
thoroughfares.
But if the trolley ia to give way to the bus
altogether the bus must be an altogether diff
ferent type of vehicle from that SO familiar to
us in this section OF the country. The buses
now in use here are small. decidedly uncom-
Portable and more or less dangerous. The way
the people are crowded into buses now during
,he rush hours is disgraceful and insanitary. They
are uncomfortable in that it is hardly possible for
eperson 10 stand upright in them. The seats are
narrow and aisle small. They are dangerous
not only because of this c~rowding but more es-