The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-23
THE MERCHANTS PAY FOR IT

Do the merchants of Birmingham realize how grade crossings are an impeachment to business? They are a continuous handicap on the volume of trade because they are always a barrier between the customer and the merchant. Notice the difference in ap- pearance of the shopping district on sunshiny days and on those that are dark and wet. On the bright days the heart of the shopping district is congested with buyers going from store to store. On the dark and damp days the crowds are not there. Women do not shop in bad weather. Why? Because it is an impeachment to their getting about to do their shopping. It Is a barrier between the merchant and the customer. The grade crossings, likewise a barrier, operate, in similar manner to reduce trade.
 good road leads to Birmingham and paved street joins the good road at the city gates, bearing the traveller toward the heart of the city. Suddenly, the good road and the paved street are halted by railroad crossing. If the crossing is not made al together impossible for the til being by freight train stretched across it, there is al- ways the jolting and pumping caused by uneven surfaces and the mental stress in- vo1ved in seeing that one gets across safely. Good roads and paved streets that are inter- rupted by grade crossings are not perfect roads and streets and, therefore, do not serve the people hundred per cent. in getting to and from business, pleasure and homes. Neither are they hundred per cent. efficient in bringing trade to the merchants.
 do oroccro ic addod and worry to every owner of automobile or horse-drawn vehicle, because it interrupts the service of these vehicles and detracts from their volume of daily performance. For instance, citizen coming from the south side by Eighteenth street because he is to do business west of Twentieth street, is very likely to find the Eighteenth street crossing blocked by leisurely freight train. If. in the need of hurry, he backs out of the waiting throng and tries Twentieth street. There he is just as apt as not to encounter some railroad train taking it's time depositing passengers. In desperation he backs out again and finally arrives in town over the Twenty-first street viaduct hot in the collar, fifteen minutes behind schedule and having been forced to travel an addi- tional half-mle on account of railroad crossings.
 This is not fancifu illustration. It has happened often. In addition to the worry and delay there is the actual expense of gas- oline involved in each stoppage and starting of the machine. In like manner horse-drawn vehicles are mulcted of perfect service and none pays for the wholesalers loss ana over head involved in such delays.
 Whatsoever places handicap on the traf- fife movement about a community eats into the volume of business done by that commu- nifty. This is not always apparent but it is a business truism that whatever tenos to slow down business is bound to diminish it's volume. A grade crossing undoubtedly slows down business and, therefore, 1t as surely reduces the volume of business.
 A community is entitled to something more than mere safety. It is entitled to maxi mum privilege of development and nothing has right to stand in the way or that de- velopment Grade crossings are a direct obstacle to development. Let merchants realize that and and then ask themselves whether they do not bear the brunt of this impediment to development and its cost. The grade crossing has no right in modern community. The courts have said so and common sense says so. They are dead weight on every community interest.
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