Evening star., 1925-06-29
Keep Approaches to
Car Intersections Clear
To the Editor Of The Star:

The congestion of traffic at busy
street intersections during hours
When street cars carry peak loads
could be greatly lessened were the
parking ban extended during these
nours to the approaches Of such in.
tersections.
Because automobiles park at either
end Of loading platforms and opposite
car stops and stand on car tracks
wnile awaiting signals from traffic
oHcers' street car passengers are un.
necessarily delayed. being held on
cars within short distances of their
destinations
Few streets are sufficiently wide to
accommodate moving and parked
automobiles and street cars stimuli.
ssaneously on one side Of the thorough.
columbia road and Eighteenth street
from downtown between the hours of
= ana pm. are usually coneested
because automobiles are permitted TO
park during those hours near that
intersection.
TWO lines of moving automobiles
usually form on both Eighteenth
street and Columbia road, one line
etanolhg on the car tracks and the
o.ner petween the parked automobiles
ana the tracks, completely blocking
the right of way of the Mount
Pleasant, Chevy Chase and Rock
Creek Bridge cars. Similar conditions
OBTAIN In the opposite directions
during the morning peak.
other busy Intersections especially
where there are transfer points, are
similarly affected. notably Fourteenth
ana Y streets northwest. Passengers
on ROCK Creek Bridge and Chevy
chase cars coming through U street
who transfer to Fourteenth street at
this point are sometimes stalled be.
tween thirteenth and Fourteenth
streets because automobiles parked
on the north side of L street do not
leave SUFFICIENT room for both the
street cars and moving motor traffic.
Durlng the morning peak loads
automobiles are not permitted to park
on the south side of U street for
some distance east of Fourteenth
street, nor is moving traflc. other
IMAM street cars, permitted to enter
the zone.
Evidently parking should not be
permitted during peak hours in blocks
haVlng car stops or platforms near
busy street intersections. Automobile
traffic should be required to keep off
the tracks so that street cars may
come up to platforms or stops with
out delay. This is concession that
passengers in view of the fact that
1t takes much longer to travel from
point to point in a street car than
In an automobile. Pedestrians are
repeatedly stopped and DELAYED at
street crossings when walking about
town. notwithstanding the traffic
regulations give them a theoretical
right OF way at such points.
Inc former regulations gave street
cars the right Of way over their own
tracks and prohibited other vehicles
10 come TO a stop on a highway in
such a manner as to block moving
traffic. Were motormen required to
report tag numbers Of vehicles sta nd
Ing on car tracks and action taken
against such offenders, it is proba ble
that the right of way of the street
cars would be respected and pas
sengers subjected to less inconveni-
ence.
The use Of streets having car tracks
Tor through automobile traffic should
be discouraged. Curbing constructed
along the outer tracks. as on Penn
sylvania avenue southeast, would
prevent motor trafi1c monopolizing the
right of way If the practice could not
otherwise be stopped. During snow
storms thousands of street car pas.
sengers have been unable to get
dDouL tQe city because autOmO bileS
have used the cleared rights Of way
of the cars and so packed the snow
and ice upon the tracks as to tie up
the system.
Serious delays are caused both
autotsts and street car passengers be.
cause OF failure to prohibit parking
in the downtown section of Four.
teenth street This thoroughfare
some distance below and above the
Avenue is one of the most congested
streets during peak hours The con.
gestion is increased because autono-
biles are permitted to park at the
ends of loading platforms between G
street and New York avenue, and II
and / streets At these points traffic
must squeeze through the neck OF
tottle, as it were, the space per
nlitting the passage of but one auto
mobile at time.
On certain section of Park avenue
New York, no parking or standing of
cars is permitted at any time, afford
ing the congested metropolis at least
one thoroughfare through which
traffic can flow from one end of town
to the other without interruption.
The setting aside of one completely
clear highway downtown for moving
traffic only would serve to lessen the
congestion in other streets Of the
congested area
LEWIS L. YOUNG.