Evening star., 1926-03-19
Z BILLIONS YEARLY
POOR TRAFF|CLOSS
Congested and Bad Roads,
Grades and Faulty Sig-
nails Blamed.


a total of more than s. 100000
year, is the cost of inadequate
traffic facilities to the people OF the
United States. according to an eStl-
mate made by the committee On
metropolitan traffic facilities OF the
national conference on street ana
highway safety. made public today.
To this burden is added an estimated
economic loss in lives. personal IN
iuries and property destruction of
$500, 000 900 in traffic accidents
Among the chief sources of loss
due to inadequate facilities the conf
mittee lists the following: Congested
thoroughfares extra distances. in
ferior road surfaces and heavy grades,
railroad and main travelled highway
grade crossings dra awhridges. INSULT
cient traffic police and inadequacy of
or absence of Sicnal systems, poor
signs and badly marked dctours. pre-.
vention of access to places of busf
ness dormant real estate values and
tole,ation of vehicles unsuited TO
local conditions.
Correction of these great annual
= losses Justify large expenditures. III
the committee opinion. At the same
time the magnitude of the sums IT
volyed REQUIRES due consideration of
erlv worked out and budgeted pro
gram.
Local Surveys Urged.
As basis for comprehensive
traffic improvement program the COM
mittee asserts that every community
or metropolitan area should have
traffic survey giving the necessary
physical and traffic data. The items
nh, I,tIn Il
distribution of population and We.
hicles. street. highway and transit
facilities. industrial and commercial
developments schools and recrea-
tional facilities. The traffic items in.
clude use of existing facilities. flow
of traffic at various times, types of
vehicles, average distance Travelled.
speed. sources and destinations. The
committee points out furthermore
that to be of continuing value the
survey must be kept up to date.
The essentials of a traffic program,
the committee finds, include a transit
plan covering all facilities, whether on
rails. on rubber tires or otherwise. for
the mass movement of population: a
street and highway plan providing for
main thoroughfareS, hy-passes and in
terconneCting thoroughfares. secon-
Diary streets, business and industrial
streets and local resident streets. and
a traffic control plan to provide for
the orderly Improvement of facilities
and maintenance for the safe and eff
cient utilization of street and highway
capacity.
A sound financial program which
will assure properly balanced progress
in traffic improvements and will prop.
erly distribute the burden of cost. the
committee holds to be essential.
Central Body Suggested.
Traffic programs, in the opinion of
the committee. will generally have to
be carried out by a number of differ
ent departments of the city or local
governments. The committee pro-
poses the creation of a permanent Off
cial traffic commission. including the
various city officials most closely con-
nected with problems of traffic plan
ming. An unofficial traffic committee.
including members of the official
traffic commission, together with rep
resentatives of civic and business or
CARNATIONS affected. is recommended.
The official commission. ii is believed.
should have a paid staff in charge of
Technically trained engineers and
should prepare a comprehensive traffic
ordinance and regulations or recon-
mend from time to time notifications
CI I0e oNlSJlnc OTUlIldllCoS anu feSu
tions made necessary by changes in
the traffic conditions The traffic
committee should serve in an advisory
capacity and should assist in securing
public support.
To provide unified consideration and
treatment of traffic problems in metro
nolitan areas which include more than
one city or A city and politically inr
dependent suburbs. the committee be-
lieves that it will generally be neces-
sary to depend upon an enlargement
s.e the unofficial traffic committee of
e:.e central city or cities by adding
troper representatives of important
suburban communities. When devel-
rrnents warrant. however. the COM
mittee believes an official metropolitan
authority can well be created to con-
tft,! physical growth. supervise pubic
utility services and provide for proper
traffic facilities within large popula-
tion centerS.