Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27

under way and during the coming
decade some vast improvements may be
expected in this direction. Much
radical city planning change will raise
our taxes, but it will pay for itself
hugely, not only in the saving Of lives
and time and disposition, but in actual
hard cash.
1t will save industry millions of dol
lars in the speeding up of commercial
transportation. It will save cities un-
told sums in the simplifcation of traf-
fic regulation. It will enhance the valu-
alton Of property upon such routes and
all the merchants along them will be
benefited. directly or indirectly.
We must not only make tremendous
changes in the motoring thoroughfares
of our great centers of population, but
we must make equally radical changes
in our main trunk highways. In other
words, We must lead them around
towns and not through them One Of
our worst motoring offenses is the fun
neling" of traffic. No matter how broad
and smooth the highway may be if you
narrow it down at one or more points
so that only one or two lines of cars
can go through at slow speed at a
time, you slow down the entire traffic
on the highway and. in a manner, re-
duce it to the level of the congested
district. To put it another way, high
way is only as wide as its narrowest
point.
Business Grief" Results.
Local merchants on the main streets
OF the Nation reap but little benefit
from through traffic and. due to the
congestion caused by mixing of through
traffic with local traffic they reap much
business grief. A through traveller, who
wants to stop to dine attend the movies
or make purchases, will very willingly
drive over the few blocks necessary to
get from the main highway to the
center of town. But for the main part
OF his trip he is grateful, indeed, if
he can travel over wide smooth road,
free from the congestion, the delays
and traffic regulations of a hundred
main streets, not one of which is built
for anything more than O. small amount
Of horse drawn and foot traffic.
Pedestrians have got to be organized
and regulated. You may talk all you
want about the rights of individuals,
but such talk, so far as 1t refers to the
automobile situation, must be tempered
with common sense and with a realiza-
got to eliminate the iay-walker and
make him cross main motoring streets
at the corners. And we've got to make
those corners safe for his crossing. In
the majority of cases they are not safe
now. One of the few logical conten-
tons Of the jay-walker is that in the
middle of the block he has only two
lines Of traf1ic to look out for while at
the corner he has four. Until such
time as we get our over-walks and I'M
der-passes. we have got to so regulate
corner traffic that pedestrians have am
pie time to cross in perfect safety, even
If it does hold up the motor somewhat.
Accidents on Highways.
One State commissioner has reported
that of $4,000 serious motor accidents
in his small State last year, over IL 900
occurred on broad highways where
there was plenty of vision for drivers
ahead and behind. This means that
fully half Of the accidents, and I'M
doubleday the same condition exists all
over the country, are caused by unwise
passing OF other cars. Much of this,
trundles along In the middle of the
road at speed slower than that at
which drivers Of following cars are will
ing to go.
This is one of the main reasons why
opposing lines of traffic must be Sepa-
rated. 1t will be expensive to put steel
and concrete fences down the middle
of our main roads, which, Of course,
must be widened for the purpose. But
some day some State will try this and
the reduction in automobile accidents
will be so great as a consequence that
motoring authorities will be glad to
spend more OF our money for the same
purpose. Another answer to this prob
lem is the creation of great parallel
one-way highways with slow drivers
vigorously kept to the right at all times
There will be progress in both Of these
things during the next decade.
Problem Seen in Parking.
The parking question is crying for
an answer, not only in New York, Chi
cago, Boston and San Francisco, but in
every little hamlet in the land. The
complete motorization of America has
brought about the almost universal
open-air street storage of private vehi-
cles. In other words, the streets are
being used for purpose for which they
were never intended A man who
parks his car in the business district,
| or in a residential district for that
matter, is using up from IS to 100
square feet Of precious space for which
he pays not at all or only partially IN
| the indirect way of motor or general
taxes. For the time that his car is
| there that space Is not disable by any
other of our 100000 motorists. He
removes that space from the public
use. And not only that, but his car
parked at the curb definitely removes
| one line of traffic from that street, even
if his is the only car parked in the
block.
This is an intolerable and silly situa-
ton 1t must be changed. One method
which seems to be producing q good
result Is through the erection OF prt-
vately or municipality owned garages
| in business districts where from 500 to
| 5000 cars can be stored at very nominal
cost. 1t may be that in the future this
movement will grow until We have vast
public and private parking spaces in
connection with all shopping, mercan-
tile, theater hotel and other busy city
districts in large and small towns. The
creation of one-way streets and similar
| eXpedients are only temporary stop
gaps and do not represent in any degree
| the final solution.
Grade Crossing Evil Stressed
| And. now let us speak, as delicately
as we can, of railroad grade crossings.
During the past five years approximately
1000 persons have been killed at rail-
road grade crossings The railroads
campaigns to reduce the yearly toll of
lives from this cause. To be explicit
the railroads have succeeded In telling
motorists to keep off Of railroad prop
erty, including grade crossings. But 30
long as thousands of our main and rec-
ondary highways cross the railroad
right-of-way, we must use Grade cross
ings or give up motor travel. 1t is OBJ
viously a foolish Sijaation. typical Of
some Of the other motoring conditions
We are enduring
However, the answer to the grade
crossing problem is just as simple as
that for the headlight trouble and can
be stated in almost a few words-The
elimination of grade CROSSINGS There