New-York tribune., 1922-11-26
.M anh attain
Has IooManv
vi
Side Streets
Due TO Highway Layout
Planned toAnswerNeeds
of City when Business
Lined the Waterfronss
By Robert ]. ReiIey
Arohitect

<sTCfsJtGSJ
Ii New Yorkrs street system could
be swung around overnight so thae
side streets would be avenues and what
are nov avenues would be side streets
our traffic problems would be relieved,
if not entirely eliminated. The trouble
is due to too many side streets, feed
ers, so to speak--and not enough trunk
or main arteries. The space between
side streets is not great enough, to per-
NIT the swing in Of traffic without in
terfering with the movement on tht
main lines OF travel The effect Of
every delay is magnified as it is passed
along the line, and though the inter
ruptiou may be only few minutes III
the first case II will amount to stop
page of many times as great several
blocks up or tdown the avenue. OF
course this is true only of the Leading
avenues of the city. The less impor-
tant avenues have no traffic problems
TO contend with. re Fifth. Madison.
Park, Sixth Seventh and Eighth ave-
nues and Broadway could be widened
TO allow several lines of uninterrupted
movement in the center and the curb
line reserved Tor the traffic turning in
from the side streets, there would be
less of traffic snarl on the central
avenues of the city than exists to-day.
An Error Would Have Helped Nov
It is unfortunate for modern Netp
York that the commission which laid
out Manhattan above Fourteenth
Street more than a century ago had
been so thorough. If it had made an
error and gave Manhattan more north
and south streets and less east ami
west streets the great problem which
confronts city authorities and prou-
erty interests would be still some dis
tance in the future
New York's development in those
days was along the waterfront It was
shipping town. The leading mer-
chants and the richest men were en-
gagged in sea trade. Their homes and
the homes of any one who was any
one at the time were located along the
East and North rivers. There were
large estates such as We find to-day
on the Sound or on the Hudson River.
Broadway, or, SIS it was called: then.
the Albany Post Road, served the es-
tetes bordering the Hudson River.
The Boston Post Road, or Third Ave
nue., as it is known to-day, was the
way to the East River country estates.
The land in between was sparsely
settled. With this situation before
them the commissioner appointed to
lay out street system for upper Man
haitian naturally proceeded to plan q
city based on these Developments. The
way or progress had been along the
rivers ever since the island was dis
covered and there was no Justification
then for thinking that the city'S future
growth would not continue to hem the
waterfront. 1t was eXpedient there
fore that there be ample means of in
gress and egress TO the east and west
waterfronts. Their problem was very
simple, and after some little considera
tion the commission decided the best
street system for New York was a
series of cross streets, each to be not
more than 200 feet apart. and avenues
or longitudinal highways about 500
feet apart This plan was lauded and
1t deserved praise for il provided a
highway every 200 feet in the best dis
tricts of the city and it anticipated the
future development of new territory
on each waterfront. An avenue or
north and south street over 500 or 500
feet was deemed ample. No censure
can be charged against these men, for
had they planned street system dif
ferent from the ole they laid down for
Manhattan they would have been gully
Of incompetency.
tHUttge lame OVcr NIGHT
With the development of transit and
the perfection of steam transportation
trade was drawn from the waterfrong
10 the interior of the island As IL a
great suction fan we're in operation,
business. was sucked into the north
and south highways and kept crowdine
into them from the side streets, which
had been planned TO be the business
streets of the city and the avenues the
feeders and outlets.
Because of the shape of the island.
long narrow tongue of land. the
choice locations were along tha back
bone Of the city. From the central
avenues one was within easy touch %
everything to the east and west: The
same situation prevails to-day. Eifta
Avenue, Madison Avenue and Broadway
are the great business lanes OF the is
land, and there is no reason for be
lieving that it viii NOT always remain
the same. Other avenues viii get the
overflow from these and will be lifted
naturally to a new level in the real
estate field and the business f:rn,a-
ment Of New York.
But it was overnight, so TO speak.
that the Development or growth os
New York turned frc1n east and west
to north and south. II is too late now
Sv change at a miniEum expense th#
say of the city. Police Commissioners
knright in his last report says thai
physical changes must be made, for
areifieiai expedierSees have been en-
hausted in trying to correct traffic
which in no small measure
are due 70 q street system that VAS
planned to provide for city that was
expected TO develop from waterfront
to waterfront, in other words from
east to west. 1t may be well to analyze
well the street plans we are preparing
fer the new sections Of New York be-
cause q sen1uFy srona now poseerity
may be Charging tne present genera
tion with lack of fsrtsi ght.
Ruyi-,g IL. the Rrenx