South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-06-25
MOTOR And RAIL
COMPETITION NOT
LIKELY Is CLAIM
Authority Says There Should
be No Controversy
Between Two.
BY -. b. BACHMAN

BY ID. y. BACHMAN
President. Society OF Automotive
Engineers. Inc.
10 appears TO me to be particularly
unfortunate that there should be
any controversy between the rail-
roads and the users and manufac-
turers Of motor vehicles. instead OF
complete harmony and cooperation.
Except in the most isolated cases.
competition between these two
forms OF transportation is most un-
likely. think this Is almost uni
versally true with regard to trans
portatiOn Of goods; and in the trans
portation OF passengers il Is almost
equally true IL we stretch our mag
ination TO embrace what must be the
development OF the future. / recog-
nized the fact that there il a large
amount Of capital invested in street
railway transportation. but am also
impressed more and more daily with
the fact that the streets Of our cities
are becoming less able 10 accommo-
date The burden OF traffic which they
are called upon to bear. It seems TO
condition will make il imperative IN
the not very distant future TO replace
track vehicles with a more flexible
form OF vehicle for short hauls and
where frequent stops are necessary.
This problem of highway capacity
as evidenced by our city streets de-
serves the most careful study on the
part OF every automotive engineer,
particularly as TO what its probable
effect will be on future design re-
quirements as affecting the size of
the vehicle. the control with respect
to steering. turning-radius, acceler-
alton and braking. In many Of our
cities very stringent regulations with
regard TO parking have been put into
force. 1t is useless to spend our
time in railing against these provis-
ions. for in some measure at least
they represent the legitimate effort
TO distribute the use of the streets in
a fair way among all citizens. The
problem presented is Of the most
complex nature and deserves careful
study and analysis.
Another result OF the increasing
traffic-density is the lowering Of the
efficiency Of motor vehicles as =
means OF saving time. AS the cos.
Of operation of motor vehicles has
been reduced, and the possibility OF
use thereby increased, this new fac
tor OF limitation of speed. due tc
congestion, becomes increasingly I'M
portant
l. @to hroa6ar aepact OP fro psy, ar.
tation in rural and suburban com
munities there should be practically
no question of conflict between the
railway and the motor vehicle. We
have In this country a sufficiently
closeup picture of the development
of transportation facilities TO be able
10 get a very comprehensive and In
telligent view of the relation between
various means of transportation and
the establishment and development
OF communities.
The early settlements were alone
the seaboard and the more navigable
streams, and this condition OF affairs
continued up TO the time of the de-
velopment of the railway. which re-
suited in the unlocking OF the vast
inland empire and the linking-up OF
the Pacific Coast with the Atlantic
which would have been practically
impossible without this new mean:
OF transportation. The development
Of electricity and its application "a
high speed interurban lines was the
next step in bringing highspeed
transportation into closer contact
with the small community and in
dividual 1t is obvious. however
that the operation of rail lines calls
for virtual monopoly OF territory IN
the form OF a franchise and limits
the operation Of vehicles over any
given track TO one centralized au'
thority and calls for fixed schedules
OF operation.
The advent OF the automobile has
resulted in placing into the hands OF
the individual a smaller and more
flexible unit with practically the
equivalent speed-capacity of the rail-
way.