Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1925-06-13
MORE MODERN STREET
PAVING IS NEEDED
Twice AS Many Cubic Yards Of
Rural Highways Built In 1924
AS City Streets

InaC we nave 1OfgOtCen that 1t would
have to run on last generations
streets-and generally on streets
built on the 1862 model" said Alvan
Macauley, president of the Packard
Automobile Company and director of
the National Automobile Chamber of
Commerce, in addressing the national
conference on city planning in New
York recently.
"We have been so busy boosting
highways to take man from one city
to another that we have given no
thought to what happens when he
gets there. We must add to our slo-
gan Good Roads that other slogan,
Better Streets"
! Every one is vitality interested N
street pavement. Whether he be
manufacturer, merchant, professional
man, housewife, or farmer, the street,
its pavement, it's condition directly
affects his daily life.
Eighteen millions Of us are owners
of motor vehicles. More millions of
US will own them by the end of 1925.
In Chicago alone, motor vehicle reg
istration is increasing at the rate Of
more than 1000 new cars each week.
The service these millions of vehicles
will render, the pleasure derived from
their use, the cost to operate them,
all hinge upon the condition of the
city street and county road.
The motor car is the adjunct of the
business man, a necessity for the pro-
fessional man, and an extra hand and
transportation arm of the farmer, who
now operates more than 100000
motor vehicles. The number of VIC"
hicles on farms is increasing at ire
mendous rate. This movement tow
ard motorization Of the farm has
meant more frequent buying, over a
wider radius. Streets will either at
tract or repel farm motor vehicles
and the town with the best streets will
get the trade.
Street paving is today in an uncer-
tain condition. Those responsible for
letting paving contracts and stipulat-
ing pavement types are torn between
the old tme-worn methods and mod
ern practices. They are being forced
to abandon theories long held incon-
testible. Slowly the knowledge that
there are better types of paving than
the types built for the horse and bug
gy traffic of a past generation is be-
ing driven home.
During 1924, 3O,00O,OOO square yds.
of concrete paving were laid in Amer
lean cities. During the same period
more than 6O,O00,000 square yards of
concrete pavement were laid on the
rural highways. In other words, the
rural paving has felt the impetus of
progress twice as strongly as have
the cities. This proportion is not as
it should be. Regardless of how much
is said about congestion on rural
roads, there is and always will be
more congestion on city streets. In
most towns there are times when it
isn't even possible to find a place to
park. Traffic is seeking out the mod
ern street, stunning those which time
and experience have shown motorists
are hard on their cars and wearing on
themselves.
Pavement suited to present day
needs will reduce causes of accident
and will make traction certain under
all conditions Of the weather. Every
driver of motor vehicle knows all
about the staggering path he is fore
ell to take on some streets. In so do
ing he slows up all the traffic follow
ing him, and in addition reduces the
r.sab,e lanes OF traffic on that street.
Streets designed for four lanes Of
traffic ere frequently able to accom-
modate only two, because parts OF
the street cannot be used.
Many towns are getting old, but
they are not growing old at so rapid a
pace as their streets. In most in
stances, their streets are already
years behind the times They were
laid when the horse and wagon con-
stituted the heaviest traffic. Under
modern trucks these pavements have
been pounded to pieces. And as they
were torn apart, traffic has been fore
ed to abandon those streets and add
to the congestion of others. Light
pavements will not, cannot, possibly
suffice today. The quicker cities and
towns realize that they have a prob
lem and take off their coats and get
at the job, the sooner we will have
streets suitable for today's needs.
"Better streets" should not be a
slogan, it should be a bugle note call
:, ing for work.