Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-28
NOW MY IDEA is THIS!
Daily Talks With Thinking Phiadephians Subjects They
Kno,u Best
KnOU Best

but we still could use more men 10 good ad.
vantage. However, the public has had
considerably better service, as we now have
and Arch streets. nnd are going to put
more on those streets as well as at other
congested points. Traffic conditions have
improved greatly in the last couple Of years,
ana we look for them to get still better. 1t
districts all over the city, and with the
paving of certain important streets these
have become the outlet for an immense
yehicular traffic. which must be cared for.
Delaware avenue, for example, has been
greatly improved. and the number Of block.
AIDES of traffic there and all over the city
has been largely reduced.
we are handling today about 40 per cent
more traffic than we were five years ago,
and the greatest increase has been in the
1t Is the most difficult to handle because we
have so few streets other than Broad street
where this traffic can be placed. In the
same way Chestnut and Market streets get
lot OF truck traffic because We have no
other streets for them.
"As matter of fact, there should be no
truck trafhc on Broad street, at least be-
tween Lehigh avenue and Washington ave.
nue. ths pleasure car traffic is quite sufi.
; Gient to tax the street resources to the limit.
rani,, ume business P wagons and the trucks Aave
nave no other place to put them.
Compared With New York
MANY of the streets Of Philadelphia.
ike some OF those In Boston, are too mar.
trahic which passes over them every day.
New York Is much better eguipped in this
respect, because there are so few cross.
town street car lines there. But in Phila-
delphia we have a-street-ca track on prac.
tically every street. and this complexities
the matter of handling vehicuar trafic
enormously.
The lighting signal system is working
out admirably In New York, but our condi.
tio1s iass. here are 50 different that decided
to have It work efficiently. Our great prob.
lem in this respect Is City Hall Square,
which divides the traffic. 1t might he nos.
sible to work two different lighting systems.
one north from Arch street and the other
somth sorol th from Chestnut but City Hall inter
has In New York. In Philadelphia, owing
to the City Hall Square, we have botb the
Broad street traffic and the Market street et
traific tram moving at the same time, which com.
plcates the situation. But we shall have to
and the whole matter of handling the yebicT :.
lar traffic Of the city will have to have move
attention In the future than it has had in
the past. "' ""u ~
Congested Area
I'm Philadelphia the traffic zone extends
from, about Girard avenue on the north 70
South street on the, south. and from the he
York this traffic Is spread out over q .SSw G,sv
tance OF six or seven miles, In this wav
their problem is easier than ours, and odJaI
to that fact is that theirs runs in strniaIt
Square. '' 'i"i'
o"Our entire traffic force consists Of shou,
300 men. We have 285 foot officers divided
| into three platOOns, 110 mounted mar AZ
vided into two platoons, and there mr." SI1
IN the motor squad, divided into three
ana sta1Smed In every district for
the utmost value to the city. They arc b.iJ III
only for the purpose of answering emeroenn1
| calls and go In motorcycles to the scanS
where they are needed. We have not e,nt vst
phia, but M we % believe ptSSe%s tSSt MS Of Phiadel
Woy" ~'S v" the