Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-05

sorts OF figures on the automobile
Saturation point in this country,
and just ~ steadily as these sat-
uration pC<nt predictions have
arisen so have the figures on the
output of motor cars from the
factories and so have the cars
themselves come to find their al
lotted space on the streets and
roads of the country, along with
their older brethren which are
cheerily or wheeZily, as the case
may be, chugging along.
Resigned to Fate.
Aided by the ever-rising tide of
prosperity in the country and the
ever-falling price of motor cars
and the exercising conditions
under which machines might be
bought, the cities of the country
have come to be resigned to the
fate of absorbing more and more
automobiles every year. Wash
ington, by reason of the general
caliber of its population, which is
largely of the white-collar class,
has taken more than it's proper
tionate share of this absorption
City'S traffic experts, who have
grown weary of predictions on the
Saturation point, that millen-
nium-like era is still as far away
as ever.
at seems as though that time
when the production and ultimate
consumption of automobiles will
balance nicely with the automobile
diScardS and let us set down some
nice hard and fast traffic rules to
stand for all time will never
come" Assistant Director of Traf-
fic M. o. Eldridge said yesterday.
And So" he continued, lit is
ever a changing situation we have
to face-one that seldom can be
anticipated and one which can
present as many knotty problems
for us to iron out as any problem
I know Of"
Mr.. Eldridge was showing the
figures of the Traffic Bureau for
permit applications and issues for
the month of April, which set
new high record for all time, but
which will last as such for only
about a month, with more auto
used on the city streets.
Licenses Applied For.
Last month, according to the
Traffic Bureau figures, 5,006 per-
sons made application for permits
sion to drive automobiles on the
streets of the Capital. Permits
for 1865 of these persons were
approved, and the great majority
of them went out to drive their
new cars about the streets and add
to the already congested traffic
situation.
These figures show that during
the month of April more than 40
persons each day were added to
the list Of licensed drivers.
The rate is maintaining a pretty
steady pace around that figure
for the entire Spring, and what
the result will be no one can accu-
rately tell, the traffic experts be-
heve. ~
were refused permits. Most Of
these refuSalS were because Of in
SUFFICIENT knowledge on the part
of applicants with regard to the
city'S traffic regulations. Ninety
per cent of these will be back
again in the next two or three
weeks and will get their permits,
and the same carry-over will be
taken from May into June, and so
on. Very few applicants fail en-
tirely to get permits. Probably
not more than 100 out of the to-
tai of 5,006 who applied last
month will fail in their final tests.
This few who will fail will not get
their licenses for other reasons
than that they cannot learn the
regulations. There will be some
very old people, some who are
physically unfit for driving cars,
some who simply cannot learn to
operate a machine, and some
whose records the Traffic Bureau
fails to find satisfactory.
This steady absorption OF motor
vehicles in the city is presenting
another and mighty large prob
lem, Assistant Director Eldridge
says. in the Government improve
ment of the section south of
Pennsylvania avenue.
Street Widening.
At first glance it would seem
that the widening of the streets
which will traverse the Mall tri-
angle section would go a great
way toward solving some of the
traffic problems when most Of the
Governments activities are CEN
tered there. But the question now
comes up as to just how much
room there is for street widening.
In planning the Government
development of the triangle it is
agreed by all concerned that
proper consideration must be
made for the automobile. 1t is
foregone conclusion that the au-
tomobile has come to Washington
to stay, and they are face to face
with the problem of taking care
Of the traffic question when it is
twice as big as it is today.
Basement parking space being
provided for in many Of the large
governmental and private build
ings going up around town will go
a long way toward solving the
peskiest problem of the traffic en-
gineerS-downtown parking.
But when all the cars brought
by Government workers try to get
into the Mall triangle at the same
time in the morning and out at
the same time in the afternoon,
what then?
Recruiting Of street cars, provi-