Evening star., 1929-10-06

A fresh grapple with the problem Of
trafic congestion in cities and on the
highways is to be attempted as the re-
suit of the appointment of special
committee by Secretary Of Commerce
T.obert p. Lamont. The committee,
which will hold its first meeting here
on october 10, plans to take up every
aspect of the trafic problem and, If pos
sible, submit perfected code which. 1t
is hoped, will be useful in standardizing
traffic regulations in American cities
and highway rules throughout the
States. Lack Of uniformity now is q
handicap.
No one can walk down the street of
city of even moderate size in this
country without becoming acutely
aware of the existence of grave trafhc
problem. The advent of the automobile
in such appalling numbers has lent a
new aspect to urban life; even on coun-
try roads the Fastening motor cars
present problems.
In this connection 1t is interesting to
note that European city planners and
architects as well as traffic experts have
devoted perhaps more study to the
problem than Americans, despite the
fact that, as yet, no European city has
as many automobiles as any American
city Of equivalent size. Out Of these
studies has grown the conviction that
the traffic problem in cities never can
be completely solved by formulating
model codes, no matter how clever in
essence or how faithfully enforced.
Cities themselves must be reconstructed
before congestion may be brought under
control.
Two important criteria for what
should be done have been accepted by
some of the foremost world experts: one
taken from America, the other from
Europe. Great cities, it gradually is
being conceded, must adopt the Ameri-
can idea Of building skyscrapers both
for business and residential purposes.
On the other hand, the European idea
Of Strengthening and widening streets
and clearing out whole areas must be
generally adopted.
It is recognized that the world Is be-
coming urbanized to an astounding de-
gree and that there is not the slightest
indication that there will be any abate-
ment in the trend of population toward
cities. Further, motor cars are pouring
from the factories faster each year and
the people are finding the purchasing
power to put them into use.
In these circumstances it seems in
evitable that there must be a complete
remaking of our present cities and that
future ones must be designed along
wholly new lines.
WashingtOn's Traffic Problem.
Washington, of all American cities,
long has been regarded as the best
planned. Open country was selected for
its site. No old streets had to be ab-
sorbed into the plan. A city was cut
out Of whole cloth, as the saying runs,
without anything to hinder perfect
street development One of the leading
engineers of his time, Maj l'Enfant
was appointed by Gen. Washington to
do the work.
That the plan of Washington was as
excellent as city plan could be for the
time at which 1t was drawn is conceded
that 1t is poor plan under modern
conditions is equally obvious. In the
original plan the City of Washington
was dotted with circles for a military
reason. Maj. lEnfant knew of the
street fighting in the French Revolution
the days OF the barricades. Therefore
he planned these Washington circles
with streets and avenues convergine
upon them so that a Government, by
planting artillery in the circles. could
command. lengthwise, several streets at