Evening star., 1925-05-01
PRESIDENT WARNS
OF TRAFFIC PERIL
Congestion of People in
Cities Phase He Finds Need
ing Experts Study.

President Coolidge. addressing
group of secretaries of motor clubs
ffiliated with the American Auto
mobile Association at the White
House today, declared the Vexing
transportation and industrial prob
lem of the cities must be dealt with
by the "broadest and most inclu-
sive view" A solution can not be
worked out solely by quick movement
OF ira tfic, he said
1T would have been assumed" a" the
President said regarding this. that
when once the business man and the
working man found themselves able
to live many miles from their en-
ployment, there would imm ediately
begin sweeping distribution Of
populat ton. spreading 1t over wider
areas and organizing it in quite diff
ferent communities. Yet. experience
has been quite the contrary. lnstea d
OF using the new transit facilities to
end oyercrowding. people have
seemed determined TO crowd them
selves more than ever"
The President thinks that the mat
Ter of diffusion Of the population is one
OF the real problems OF the nation and
that II is far more important at this
time than is the consideration of the
handling OF traffic. He earnestly urged
his listeners to give thought TO this
question. and in doing SO, TO take a
broad and inclusive view
Text Of Presidents Speech.
The speech in full follows:
To receive you gentlemen here at
the White House has been my oppor-
tunity TO attest my deep interest in
the matters which you have gathered
to consider. You come In behalf of
some hundreds of automobile clubs
which have enlisted in the effort to
improve the conditions of highway
traffic, and lessen the appalling mum.
| Der OF traffic accidents. The subject
deserves all the attention IL is now
receiving at the hands Of both the
public authorities and the organized
motorists.
Il shall not deliver a speech TO
YOU, and. therefore, have not equip
ped myself with the statistics OF
! traffic accidents, which are thoroughly
familiar to you. Neither do | intend
TO repeat the familiar formulas of
advice TO both drivers and pedestrians
TO exercise care at all times. ! do
wish, however. to say a word on a
different aspect of the traffic problem.
t.. Problem of Varied Sides.
The coming of millions of motor
cars brought highway crisis 1t
| took one form in the cities and an
other form in the country. The
motor car invasion found the open
country with plenty of room for the
new vehicles, but without fit roads.
| On the other hand, il found cities and
| towns that had been laid out and
built at time when ii was impos-
! sible TO anticipate the traffic conges-
| ton that the motor cars precipitated
! The open country has dealt with its
| part of this problem by providing good
! roads on an amazing scale and at a
! tremendous cost. The cities were mol
able to adjust themselves so quickly
and so they confronted situation
which plainly implied the necessity
! for completely oVerhauling and re
shaping their highway and traffit
| systems.
| lit ia perfectly plain that IL, wher
/ our cities and towns were first laid
/ out. the motor-car revolution coule
! have been anticipated, both ground
| plans and structures would have beer
arranged on widely different lines. Tht
relations between business and resi-
dence and industrial districts woulc
! have been vastly different. Conve
nient and adequate parking space:
would have been provided, quite as q
matter Of course. One cannot hell
wondering how model city, adapted
/ TO the conditions they all now con
front. would have been orga nized i
from it's beginnings these conditions
! could have been foreseen.
Congestion OF Popuia ton.