The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1926-06-29

VI 4NSW juicy IA ~htAohSAS ~SS
recently, Major w. G. Sloan, New
Jersey State Highway engineer,
talked on the construction and
maintenance of the State road
system, and told of the congestion
and congestion costs resulting
from improper traffic regulations.
He offered objections to lights
which control traffic on state
highways going through towns
where the period of the light
changing color was regular, halt
ing the through traffic to allow
the smaller volume of traffic to
pass.
"In these days of heavy and in
creasing traffic." he said, 1.-The de-
sign of highway is based on
capacity, it's ability to handle a
certain estimated number OF We
hicles, and the elements entering
into this consideration include
line and grade, width of pavement,
type of pavement, elimination OF
grade crossings of railroads and
important highways, skirting OF
towns to eliminate so far as pos
sible local traffic, and the use OF
proper traffic regulating devices.
Failure to properly plan and carry
out this last mentioned part OF
the transportation system nullifies
in greater or lesser degree the
effectiveness of the best planned,
constructed and maintained high
way it is possible to provide.
Highways are public roads
which every citizen has right to
use, but obviously their use must
be so regulated as to insure the
greatest good to the greatest num-
Der of those using such highways.
Highway traffic may in gen.
eral way be grouped into two
classes, i. e.. local traffic and
through traffic, the former being
defined as that which for the time
being moves only within the n1u-
nicipality or other political sub
division of the State and the lat
ter as that which moves from one
municipality or other political
subdivision to some other part Of
the State or beyond it's borders.
while originally highways in
this State were built solely at the
expense of the townships, New
Jersey was one of the first states
to recognize this classification of
traffic and the propriety of re-
lieving the townships of the bur-
den of the cost of providing means
for the handling of traffic rot
their own.
1.-THE preamble to the State Aid
Act of 1891 in New Jersey reads
as follows:
Whereas, Public Roads in this
State have heretofore been built
and maintained solely at the eX-
pense of the respective townships
in which they are located; and
whereas, such roads are for the
convenience Of the citizens of the
counties in which they are Iocat-
ed, and of the entire State, as we'll
as of said townships; and where
as, the expense of constructing
permanently improved roads may
be reasonably imposed, in due pro-
portion, upon the State and upon
the counties in which they are
located, therefore, be it enacted
Likewise in these laws estab-
fishing State Highway Routes it
is provided that no State High
way shall extend into any MUM
cipality having population of
more than 10000, presumably on
the basis that the local traffic of
the streets of such larger munich
palities would be as proportionally
greater than the through traffic as
to justify the expense Of mainte-
nance of such streets remaining
with the municipality.
Traffic regulations have sever
al ideas underlying them. Origi-
nally they. We're enforced to pre-
vent accidents, thus they natural
ly fell within the purview of the
Police Department. 1t was seen
that traffic regulation for this pri-
mary purpose was beneficial from
an economic standpoint and the
reduction of congestion and the
of all traffic have come
to be accepted detectives. The
fundamental principle is the de-
sire to secure the maximum use
of existing facilities.
Improper traffic regulation pro-
duces congestion and congestion
costs money. In the case of Wor-1
cester, Massachusetts, from a
careful study made and consider
ing only those vehicles which
We're obviously delayed in passing
through the central business dis
trict, an estimate was prepared
which showed cost of $4,000 a
day to the community. In Cincin-
natl, Ohio, a figure of 100000 a
day was arrived at as the cost of
the congestion existing in that
city. and the cost of congestion en-
Island has been esti-
mated by authorities at 100000
per day and in the whole Nero
politan district at approximately
s1,000.0O0 day.
Proper traffic regulations per-
,,,stc {In fv1o ord ,,r0hcfwy, NJ od