Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-23
The Bus Terminal.

II Is matter of extreme qualification
! to the people OF the National Capital
that the question of union bus
terminal. dropped for no apparent rea-
son more than two years ago is to be
taken up again and pushed to execu-
ton. Washington has reached the end
of its patience regarding the usurping
Of public street space by privately
owned commercial organizations and
will follow with interest the Joint en-
deavors of the Public Utilities Commits
sion and the Traffic Bureau to compel
the companies to operate from a ter
minal situated on private property
Twenty-Five interstate bus lines are now
running in and out of this city. Fifteen
scattered terminals, all on the public
highways, have been established, and
in every case the huge, unwieldy We
hicles are menace to traffic and
breeders Of congestion. In one block,
between Fourteenth and Fifteenth
streets on Pennsylvania avenue, forty
to sixty buses arrive and depart dur
ing the course Of the day, and inasmuch
as this particular square is one Of the
busiest in the downtown section the sit
uation has become acute.
Not only should the bus interests con-
struct their own terminals. but they
should be located out of the congested
district. Washington has tolerated the
delays. inconvenience and menacing as
poets of these vehicles in heavy traf-
fic long enough, and it Is now up to the
companies to relieve the city Of a con-
dition that is daily arousing more re-
sentiment. In the early days. when only
one or more lines operating small-ca-
pacity buses sought and received per-
mission to use the heart of the con-
gested section for terminals, practically
no confusion was created. But with the
teeming traffic Of today, and with the
number of lines multiplied many times
and the buses of enormous capacity,
the situation is entirely different.
There is not single logical extenu-
ating circumstance for the use Of the
public highways for the parking Of the
modern bus. 1t would be the same as If
the various railroad companies were al
lowed to run their trains into the con-
gested section, or IL the huge electric
interstate cars we're permitted to re-
main standing on the street. In the lat
ter case it win be noted that long ago
the Baltimore & Annapolis cars were
provided with terminal. Taxicabs are
the only public vehicles which can be
allowed any leeway in parking on pub
lie thoroughfares, and it is only be-
cause they are light and At easily into
the traffic stream, once in operation,
that this leniency is shown.
Traffic in Washington is becoming
more congested daily. At the rush
hours, morning and evening, the situa-
ton is serious. There is no room In the
downtown section for huge buses
parked at the curb. All the street space
must be made available If any. SEM
blance of frictionless travel Is to be
maintained. Interstate bus transporta-
ton should be on the same basis as
interstate train and electric car trans
portation. The streets should be re-
served for the use of residents and pub
lie carriers which are constantly in mo-
ton and which serve the Washingto-
Man in his ever growing problem OF
getting to and from his business.