Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-09
KEECH LAUNCHES
TRACTION SURVEY
TOBENEF|T PUBLIC
Feels improved Car Service
win Revive Trolley Rid
ing Habit.
PAY-AS-Y0U-LEAVE PLAN
TO BE GIVEN ATTENTION
Zone Fare Scheme Also Considered
as Means of Coaxing Back
Short-Ride Passengers.

An exhaustive study of Washington g
transportation ailments was undertaken
yesterday by Richmond B, Keech,
peoples counsel before the Public Util-
tiles Commission, with the hope that
possibly he can work out some plan
TO bring about improved car service
and get the public back into the street.
ear-riding habit.
Keech win give particular attention
20 the zone system CT fares adopted in
Boston, Cleveland and number Of
other cities, as well as to new types Of
equipment designed for rapid trsnsit
service. Both have served to stimulate
car riding in these cities.
Studying From Two Angles.
Keech is approaching the study from
two widely divergent angles that the
public Is entitled to and should be
given adequate, eficient and rapid
transportation, and also that the car
companies should do something to re-
lieve the condition of financial despair
which has come about through q steady
decrease In passengers and an accom-
panying decline In revenue. He realizes
that unless the companies prosper they
it there is little likelihood of any ma
terial Improvement In service.
Through his study, Keech will try to
determine whether the adoption Of the
zone system in Washington would have
the same result 1t has had In other
cities-attract to the cars short haul
passengers who ordinarily walk to and
from work or ride in cheap-rate taxi
cabs.
with the zone system, the District. It
was explained, could be divided into
two zones, the present 10 CENTS cash
fare being retained in the outlying zone
ar16 a lower rate of cents being put
into effect in the inner zone.
The change, 1t was pointed out, would
not bring about any revision in the rate
Of fare for riders who live in the sub
urban areas and would offer q reduced
fare for those who live nearer to the
business section. Thus scent fare, 1t
is believed, would induce hundreds Of
persons living in apartment houses
within radius Of a mile Of the various
Government departments who now walk
to work to ride the street cars.
Sees New Equipment Need.
BY improving service and expediting
service as much as possible with exist
ing equipment, Keech believes the car
=
number of lost passengers, but uiti-
mately, he thinks, new and modern
equipment, such as cars of the light
aluminium type with quick acceleration,
might be used TO decided advantage
in rejuyenating the transportation
business
A change from the present pay-as-
you-enter arrangement for q pay-as-
you-leave plan, In Keech's opinion,
IN IA ant
of cars by facilitating the loading and
unloading. Some cities are said to have
adopted this scheme with marked sue
cess
Passengers under the pay-as-you-
le: We arrangement board the car in the
front and leave by the rear. The con-
ductor stands on the rear platform and
collects fares as the passengers leave.
This scheme avoids the usual delays In
making change and issuing transfers at
the very time when passengers are try
ing TO crowd into car.
Keech believes the plan might work
out admirably in Washington, especially
during the rush hours, when more pas
sengers board car at any one point in
the business section than get OF at .
single stop in the residential section.
Analyses Riding Habit Factors.
Among the data Keech already has
gathered for his study Is report on an
analysis of factors affecting riding
habits In large cities made by the Beeler
organization. The report shows o de-
crease in riding with an increase in
fare, although It does not indicate q
definite relation between the riding
habits and rate Of fare that holds true
in every ease. For example, In Cleve-
land with So per cent increase In fare,
there has been o 20 per cent drop In
riding habit, while in Cincinnati, al
though the fare has increased "A per
cent, the riding habit dropped but per
cent. One outstanding fact brought
out Is that the riding habit begins to
fan at about the point where the fares
Increased 80 per cent above the 1918
level
With the employment of three addi-
tional engineers yesterday, the Public
Utilities Commission announced the
completion 81 the organization of Its
engineering force for the valuation Of
the city's two street railway systems.
The three new employees whose ap-
polntment was announced yesterday
were j. l.. Ingoldsby and Fred A. Sager,
as appraisal engineers at $500 per an
mum each, and George e. Norris as an
assistant appraisal engineer at $4,000
per annum. This brings the number OF
engineers available for the valuetion
work up to five.
In order TO accommodate the valua-
ton force, Peoples Counsel Keech viii
vacate his suite of offlceS on the second
floor and move up on the corporation
counseis suite, on the third floor Of the
District Building. The valuation force
win take over Mr.. Keechs present
rooms att
The valuation work has already beer
IN progress for several weeks under tho
general direction Of Burt H. Peck, tho
commissions chief engineer.
Commissioner Harieigh II. Hartman
said yesterday that the valuation worl
was proceeding smoothly and that hs
was confident the case would be ready
for public hearings within q year from
now. The revaluation was ordered
after the District Supreme Court In.
creased car fare In Washington to II
cents. with four token being sold for 81