Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-20
POW ELL EVANS
On Traffic Difficulties

TNI1E traffic situation in PhlIadeiphlo AS
l. matter which needs the immediate ana
careful attention Of all concerned as wen us
of the city authorities in order that cohut
tions which arc now sufficiently pad may hoi
become worse, is the opinion OF Poweli
Evans. nresident of the Automobile Club OF
Philadelphia.
"As 7 see it," said Mr.. Evans, three
pressing problems are associated with me-
chanical transportation on our hl8hWays anu
streets. First, the ordinary pollclng Oh
travel; second, the storage OF owner driven ra
and, third, the experimentation OF traVei
through the congested area of the city;
'"rhe first of these, the ordinary policing
Of travel, IS we'll understood by both the
authorities and the community, entirely re-
gardlcss of how this policing is performed,
and REQUIRES no detailed discussion.
Storage and Parking
THE second, however, is more complex
that Is, the storage of the owner driven car
and the parking of the employe-arNeh cur.
By the owner driven car l mean the VENICE
in which n man comes to his work In the
morning and does not use the car again
until he is ready to 90 home for the day.
This requires an all day storage.
'The limitations on the use of our
crowded and narrow streets when caused In
mart the recent enforcement by the city au-
thorities of existing ordinances have passed
beyond what is desirable and the solution or
the traffic problem has now become essen
tial. The city might wisely, however, in con-
nection with more rigid control, provide such
means of alienation, especially. for owner
driven cars, as can be accomplished.
"rhe City of Chicago permits nm enor-
nous open air storage yard on an otherwise
unused lakeside park area along Michigan
boulevard. Something Of the sort might be
done here to relieve the congestion.
Cars Well Cared For
.'This area was roughly drained and
covered with cindcrs. 1t was then all in
closed in a strong but inexpensive wire
fencing and laid out in orderly streets and
alleys under regulated concessions granted
by the city.
"The operators of the concession charge
a nominal fee and locate and police the car
for all the time 1t is left in their care. A
ticket ia issued to the owner, which he sur
renders when he takes the car away.
This plan seems to me to be n practical
one. nerhaps with some slight changes, for
Philadelphia. Thousands Of cars could be
stored in this city along the unused areas
bounding the new Parkway by the joint ac-
tton of the city and the Park Commission.
The transportation of the owners from the
Dlaccs where their cars were stored to the
center of the city could be arranged pos
sibly by having buses run down the Park
way TO lily 11uil u lure.
Synchronizing Vehicular Travel
1.-THE third point is the synchronizaton
Of travel through the congeSted areas Of the
city. The physical peculiarties of Phila-
delpha's geographical plan, consisting as It
does of large number of usually narrow
gridironed streets, make the movement of
vchicuIar travel Of the current magnitude
unusually dangerous and wastcful, unless it
is thoroughly polIced along some synchron-
lied plan.
II suggested this plan some years ago,
but apparently the subject had not then
become such a nuisance as to warrant its
serious consideration. Later New York CITY
adopted the plan with respect to Fifth ave-
nue. and its crossing streets. The plan Is
largely mechanical, consisting Of centrally
controlled stops, visible at each street inter-
section which is thus regulated.
"Flnshlights are employed as the stops,
namely: red to stop, yellow AZ warning
of a change in the signal about to come and
green to proceed. In other words, it is a
practical application Of the well known and
long proved railroad signal system to sur
face street control.
How 1t Would Work Here
"Phiadelphia's central city area Is now
80 congested and menaced with vehicular
nnvel as to warrant the application of this
fsstem to every nain street intersection be :