Evening star., 1928-05-27
GREATER UTILITY
IN STREETS URGED
Research Official Believes
Capacity of Thoroughfares
May Be Increased.

/ City streets comprise a municipal
/ plant that is utilized probably less eff
, tlclenty than any other, yet it has
been proved that it is possible to in
! crease by 80 per cent the capacity OF
streets that are regarded as saturated
with traffic. Conditions that result in
this great plant ineficiency also pre-
vent the potential efficiency of the mo-
tor vehicle being utilized to anywhere
near its possibilities After pointing
out these truths in the language of
the engineer. DR.. Miller McClintock
! director Of the Albert Russell Erskine
Bureau Of Street Traffic Research, told
members and guests of the Pennsvl-
vania section of the Society of Auto
motive Engineers at a recent meeting
IN Philadelphia Of some Of the meas
! ures that have been put into effect in
other cities with notable advantages.
It is not at all improbable that you
! and / will be driving in the city at
an average rate Of 65 miles an hour
within the next decade" he asserted
referring to the present handicap OF
environment that limits passenger car
speed in cities TO an average of i6
miles an hour and motor truck speed Of
to 10 miles an hour.
Elevated Drives Suggested.
The speaker indicated that his pre-
dicuon was based on the expectation
that cities will build elevated drives
and other special automobile thorough
fares having no grade intersections. A
number Of these are already building
or contemplated Chicago is definitely
planning loop of travel to carry traffic
out in northwesterly direction at any
rate of speed that may be placed upon
1t. This will be elevated for a con-
siderable distance. An outer driveway
is now being developed along the entire
lake front. connecting with jackson
Park on the south and Lincoln Park
on the north
Build elevated highways to serve as
through feeders and collectors Of traffic
and eliminate oSs-inLerfeTence. and
YOU will make it possible to utilize the
full potentialitieS of the motor car and
believe, will make it a much more
standard Individual means of trans
portation than 1t can otherwise be-
said Dr. McClintock
He then told Of the success of the
progressive signal system adopted in
Chicago, whereby a series Of lights
gives the Go" signal successfully in a
sequence Of time. The time interval
between two lights corresponds TO the
distance between them, al speed Of,
say, Is miles an hour Thus a driver
can proceed the full length of the
street at a uniform rate without any
stop for crosS-traffic.
Remedy for Parking Evil.
Street parking in congested areas Is
/ an evil that the speaker indicated can
be abolished with advantage to mer-
chants, car owners and the automotive
industry. After comprehensive study
in the Chicago Loop district parking
was prohibited and. instead of a de-
crease in store trade. it was found
that all the larger department stores
have shown an increase in sales this
year
Uneven distribution of the traffic
load on the streets during the day Is
also a problem that will have to
be faced. asserted Dr.. McClintock
Some idea Of the cost of the traffic
peaks TO business concerns operating
fleets was given by figures kept for
six months In San Francisco by several
large companies, which estimated from
their cost records Of accidents, repairs
and liabilities a saving at a rate OF
So 100000 year as a result Of the
operation Of new traffic-control plan.