The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-06-11
TRAFFIC MOVES
LIKE CLOCKW0RK
Traffic Wise Gothamite
Halts and Starts as
if by Instinct
STREET JAMS VANISH
Crowding Public as Viewed
From Tower Have Appear
ance of Automatons

New York street crowds are rap
idly becoming taffic-wisc. Com
Pared with tuo crowds Of other
cities. at home aud abroad. they are
quick to respond to discipline. An
Interesting problem in crowd psy
rhoIogy is being worked out I'm the
city streets moro especially on
ttth avenue while tho crowds
themselves are entirely unconscious
OF H.
A generation ago New Ynri,s
ygowd were wholly undisCipliued.
Tho city, aud the country as woll.
looked upon the congestion OF tho
streets a. an unsolvable problem.
When frw hundred busscs and
wagons passed up aud down Broad
way, pedestrians we're completely
bafflcd, ana bullt bridge over the
street rather than try TO penetrate
the traffic when West street was
much narrower than nt present, IL
vas often impossible 10 CROSS II for
hours az time, and people missed
thoir trains and boats because they
could not negotiate its width of per
hapg 90 feet Tho traffic "iams'
often closed streets Ia the heart of
New York tor hours.
licspOnsc to Authority Instant.
To appreciate the discipline Of
Now York crowds. and the instant
response 10 authority today. ono
should look down from the vantage
point OF Fifth avenue traffic
tower. u privilege rarely granted.
From this elevation one gains an
entirely new impression Of the ave
nue.. The tower itself. with It's win
dows closed IN winter temperature.
IS curiously quiet retreat. although
surrounded by the busiest stream Of
traffic in tur wuriu Tho closely
maascd vehicles as FAR ns one can
soc to the north and south, and on
the cross streets, move quickly for
ward, and are checked ana again
set In motion within n fraction NJ u
second, after the signal is flashed to-
them. There TX absolutely no strag-
ElinE Tho lines at which the traf-
tic ~ halted are absolutely clear
cut
The discipline ~ the crowds Hfoot
appears especially remarkable when
viewed from this elevation. The
traffic tower at Forty-secund street
and Eifth avenue IL an advanta-
geous point for watching II, Tho
Intersection of these two great thor
oughfaros marks the busiest traffic
center IN the world. Before the in
tAi VI lllf llItbtIA lIulll. sNN=
TEN llb,00O people passed In n day
along Forty second street and 200
up and town Firth avenue. The traf-
TIC regulations have served to in
Urcare tn,s number.
Halt. Start like Nutomntons.
In the old days, neither ot the
great cross streets was ever wholly
clear of people. no matter how
heavy the vehicular traffic. The
crowds constantly bucked the trnf.
fic, lodging through the lines OF
cars. The upraised arms OF the trait
Tic policeman only served TO check
a portion of the crowd. This was
the transition period from tho old
DAYS OF street Jams and closed
streets. Looking down from the
traffic tower II Is easy 20 imagine
that the crowd ~ made up OF auto
nations, In some mysterious way
controlled by the switchboard which
the traffic policeman moves back
and forth. The lights which flash
on and Off above the tower are. OF
course, supplemented by the police
on the street below. but the effect
OF the combination IL marvellous,
The red light marking the transi.
tion period is only flash. hut II
changes the appearance of the broad
street as II by magic. one moment
the wide paNemcnts of Fifth ave.
nue. are black with people lined UP
ass,,,s; ;.,v Sidewalk 80 :. clearly DE-
fined line Few of the hundreds
waiting 80 patiently for the signal
To cross overstep the line. At the
click OF the switch which flashes
on the green light the crowd in,
stantly breaks and streams across
the avenue, while the black fringe
qv!ckly thickens on the pavements
faolrs the cross street. Occasionally
when traffic let's up there are few
stragglcrs unmindful of the signals
but the discipline of the great ma
1ority OF the crowd is amazing.
Response Now Unconscious.
The crowd II responding quite un