Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-08
TRAFFIC SURVEY
IN WEST PLANNED
Federal Bureau and States
to Collect Data on VOL
ume of Travel.

In order that the Federal Govern
ment and the Western States may
know what the flow of trafic is
throughout the year on the main trans
continental highways and on other
roads in the Federal-aid highway sys-
tenn in the West, the highway depart
ments of Washington, Oregon. Califor-
mia, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah,
Arizona. Colorado, New Mexico and
Nebraska and the Bureau of Public
Roads of the United States Department
Of Agriculture will make q traffic sur
vey over period of one year, begin
ming this month, announces the Bureau
of Public Roads. Among the routes on
which traffic will be measured are the
historic Oregon Trail over its entire
length from Omaha to Portland, parts
of the Santa Fe and Overland Trails,
and the long-distance notorious routes
from Omaha to Denver, Salt Lake City
and San Francisco, and from Denver
to Los Angeles by way of Santa Fe, and
from Seattle to Los Angeles.
Federal Aid Closes Gaps.
The transcontinental highways which
give easy access to national parks and
monuments and to national forests In
the West carry great and increasing
traf1c from the East and Middlewest
and they pass through public-land
States which have large percentages
Of inexperienced and unreserved pub
lie land. relatively low densities Of
population and comparatively small
revenues for road construction and in
these States Federal aid has been of
material assistance in closing gaps in
the through routes.
According to the National Park Serv-
ice, United States Department of the
Interior. automobile travel to the ma
tional parts has made tremendous
strides in the last six years. In 1923
total Of 191 .287 private automobiles
entered IL Of the Western parks; in
per cent more than in 1923; and the
1923 figure for one of the parks was
400 per cent greater than the 1928
figure.
Foreign Traffic Heavy.
Data compiled by the State high
way department of New Mexico in 1927
and 1928 indicate that more than 80
per cent of the vehicles using the
roads Of the State In those two years
were from other States, and on many
routes the so-called foreign traffic was
more than half the total. The foreign
trafic on many of the New Mexico
highways was so per cent greater in
1928 than in 1927, and the total traf1c
was % per cent higher In 1928 than
in 1927. A similar situation is be-
Iieved to exist in the other Western
States.
In these Western States traffic has
reached the point where it is necessary
for the States to know the flow of
trafic density, and composition on their
roads, so that they can plan their high
way systems on good economic basis
and plan for the removal of snow in
Winter.
The survey will show the number Of
vehicles using each of the main high
ways throughout the year, by days of
the week and hours of the day, and
the number of vehicles passing a given
point at certain times of the day. 1t
will classify the traffic according to
types of vehicles, whether passenger
cars, motor trucks, or motor busses and
the number of passengers in passenger
cars. The importance Of cities, towns,
and sections of the State as the source
and destination of traffic will be ascer-
tanned, and the number of vehicles from
other States using the highways, and
other information required by State and
Federal highway officials, will be OBJ
tanned. The data will show population
trends and will be useful in solving
traffic regulation and safety problems.
Surveys will be conducted simultane-
ously In each Of the States.