Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13
REGIONAL PLAN
HELD SOLUTION
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Traffic Committee Cites Sys.
tenn as Means of Elimi-
mating Congestion.

Regional planning is shown to be the
ultimate solution of traffic congestion
In a comprehensive study of its causes,
its costs, and its remedies made by the
traffic committee Of the American Road
Builders Association. Results Of the
study were released here today by Dan
r. Lamson, committee engineer.
Among the principal causes shown
are:
/. Highway registration docal We
hicles).
Q. outside registration using high
ways in the area.
3. Lack Of parking restrictions.
4. Narrow and poorly planned high
way systems.
5. Lack of adequate entrances and
exits to cities.
6. The larger cities geographically
hemned in by waterways
Thirty miles from the heart of the
central city of regional area is the
maximum distance of local influence.
The New York area, even, could be
included within these limits. This dis
lance scales down some 10 miles around
the smaller cities.
It Is in these areas that are found
traffic condition which set the maxi
mum standards of right of way. surface
width and pavement design. Here occur
the most expensive construction prof.
ectS, the highest costs of additional
right of-way, and the greatest obstacles
to successful completion of highway
Improvement program. This is espe-
Cially true of the central sections of
cities where insufficient right of way
was set aside originally for highway
purposes.
Through Traffic Light.
Obviously there Is certain amount
OF through" long distance trafic in
any area which travels beyond the 30
mile zone, but those amounts are very
small when compared with the local
traff1c operating within such q zone.
In the Cleveland area, only 11a per
cent Of the passenger car traffic on the
through trunk highways crosses the re-
gtonal area between outside points Over
95 per cent of the daily paSsenger-car
traffic entering or leaving the city does
not travel beyond the regional area
limits, 80 miles from the center Of
Cleveland
mated at $81 900 per day in Boston.
to the Inauguration of the regional i'm
provement program, and Is estimated
at 81 100000 day in New York.
The loss Of time because of traffic
congestion in some instances in large
cities Is making transportation by horse
drawn trucks more economical than by
motor driven vehicles
Lack of highway facilities has re-
tarded the purchase of automobiles.
notably in New York, Chicago, Phila-
delphia and Boston. Per capita COM
parsons of registration figures were
made with such cities as Detroit and
Los Angeles which have an abundance
Of wide exits and high-speed arteries
Using the Detroit ratio Of IS persons
should have a total increase In regis
tration Of 100000 automobiles, but
they do not.
rItaa Aids for Congestion.
Szraoe crossings at highways and
item to the cost of traffic congestion
A study Of one Of ClevelandS principa,
streets over 12-hour period shows that
OF the $685. vehicles passing over Q
grade crossing intersection during that
time, 1857 or 31.4 per cent were de-
1ayed there. In other words, the
thoroughfare could be said to be only
69.6 per cent efficient.
Remedies advanced for reducing con-
gestion are:
That Q model regional planning or
ganiZation be drawn UP for use of
smaller cities; that State legislatures
authorize and control regional plan
ming In congested areas; that equitable
methods Of financing, planning and
construction be studied and recon-
mended.
That In locating highways, State
highway departments build trunk lines
around cities; that minimum right of
way width be adopted of 100 feet for
primary and secondary trunk lines and
Of Sc feet with a two-lane roadway for
rural roads.
That the authority for the location of
grade crossings should be vested in the
State highway commission or some
State public utility commission.
That immediate financing and con-
struction is favored of specific projects
in regional areas as recommended by
the commission in charge.
That State and county highways hav-
ing an average daily present traffic in
excess of 1000 vehicles shall be de-
signed with more than two traffic lanes
of pavement: those with between 1900
and 1000 vehicles, not more than 10
per cent of which is truck traffic, to
have two traffic lanes, generally paved:
roads with less than 1900 vehicles
daily, not more than 10 per cent truck
trafic, shall have two traffic lanes with
some type Of al-weather surfacing.