The Washington times., 1926-09-08

no two cities are all the streets Of
a like character I'm every respect,
OF course. fundamentally, the ques-
tion is of one cloth. but variations
are exceedingly large IN number.
1t is plain, for instance, that
New York's problems vary in some
important respects from those Of
Philadelphia. while Philadelphia q
differ from those of Chicago. The
Baltimore may bear q striking re-
seInblance generally, but when the
question OF physical additions to-
existing traffic lanes Is considered
marked difference must be APP
parent.
Each city would present q some.
what different problem to the en-
gineers entrusted with the task Of
giving American communities ele-
waited streets, overhead crossWalks,
underground avenues, or whatever
trend the movement would take,
and while in the main their prob
lens would be essentially the same
the details would necessarily have
to show certain important alter
ations.
Discussions OF such radical ap-
purtenances to an age-old system
of vehicular and pedestrial com
munication are regarded in not a
few circles as being the flighty
dreams Of visionaries. They are
looked upon by some as mere SEN
sational talk of something which
never will become reality; inter-
esting, perhaps, but entirely beyond
the realm of practical need or
use.
Time Indefinate
Obviously, It is impossible to pre-
dict with certainty that such things
will come to pass within a given
time, but 1t 10 not logical to ex-
pect that with the staggering ad-
vance in automobile production,
with the vastly increased number
Of cars on the streets, and with
those streets already figurativeIy
sagging under the tremendous and
unprecedented load, that some
marked change will come about
within reasonable length of time
In other words, here Is a very
specific condition, existing in every
large center Of population, and, TO
! q smaller degree in smaller COM
munities. In the great centers,
nipst Of them founded many years
| ago when automobiles were not
even fabIed and when the only
traffic was that of relatively few
horse-drawn vehicles, the streets
were not constructed to take care
OF volume OF traffic hitherto un.
heard OF in the history of the
world.
Since there Is no precedent for
the amount of traffic which moves
over the &ity streets, is it not quite
logical to expect that unprecedented
action must be taken to meet the
problem which has developed?
If present-day streets will not
carry present-day traffic-and it
has been demonstrated in the lead.
ing cities that they cannot do 50
| efficiently-why should plans for
supplemental arteries be considered
so extremely grotesque?
1t Is evident that when New
York, for instance. first considered
plans for its elevated railroad there
were a great many persons who be-
lteved that such a scheme was an
hallucination of the first water; the
futile day dream of an idle wastrel.
New York outgrew its surface cars
just as downtown New York has
outgrown it's streets and avenues.
And IL such is the case why is the
plan for an adjunct Of some kind so
supremely ridiculous? And is not
the case Of the subway quite as
apt an illustration?
Growing More Acute
These questions may be passed
over lightly now, or regarded as
! pure theory, but discerning observ.
ers, with their feet firmly planted
on 1925 ground, yet with an eye
to the future, are not content to SO
view the situation. So long as the
automobile continues to use today's
streets in the constantly growing
fashion now apparent, this problem
will become more acute, and the
passage of years win bring home to
the whole body OF the public, motor
ing or otherwise, the vital need for
improved methods.
An automobile lis useful only so
long as it meets the definite, prac-
tical everyday needs of the aver.
age man. The future of the auto.
mobile industry, 1t should be ap.
parent to even the most casual of
observers, depends upon the ability
of John Smith to utilize his car
whenever he wants to and wherever
he wants to, all within reason.
And the desire to use it downtown,
for business, is thoroughly rea-
sonable.
The time may come when a halt
will be called on traffic on down
town streets simply because they
have been taxed beyond the limit
OF their endurance. When that