Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-24
BOYS BEGIN COUNT
| IN TRAFFIC SURVEY
Vehicles and Pedestrians En-
tering or Leaving Congested
Area Being PoIled.

Washingtons trafic and parking sur
vey began today with count by school,
boy patrols Of every vehicle and pedes-
trian entering or leaving the congested
area between the hours Of 8 o'clock in
the morning and o'clock In the eve
ming.
More than hundred boys are stand
ing on corners or sitting on hard curbs
at 90 posts in a Gordon around the
downtown portion of the city checking
each traffic unit as 1t passes.
The survey is sponsored by a special
committee comprised of representatives
Of the National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, the Traffic Bureau.
the District and Park Police Depart
ments and trade organizations. Lieut..
Col. U. s. Grant, Sd, executive officer
of the planning commission, heads the
group. He Is being assisted by Charles
w. Eliot, I'd, city planner.
Final plans and instructions to the
checkers were gone over yesterday art
ernoon at a meeting OF traftic experts,
police officials and high school boys in
the board room of the District Building.
DIR. Miller McClintock, director OF the
ErSkine Bureau of Harvard University,
under whose supervision the survey Is
being made, explained to the youthful
checkers their duties.
Gordon Count First.
The first division of the survey
that which is being made today-H q
Gordon count. This means that all
pedestrians and vehicles leaving and all
entering a certain area will be counted.
The count Is recorded on charts. each
for a half hour period, thus showing
the swell and ebb Of trafi1c throughout
For the purposes Of the survey the
coi1pested area has been extended one
block further north than set out IN
the traffic regulation. 1t Is boun>ko
on the north by l. street. on the east
by Sixth street, on the west by Nine
teenth street and on the south by 3
street.
In addition to the number Of vehicles
passing each intersection, the nature
Of the vehicle-whetber passenger,
freight, automotive or horsedrawn-
Fifty-four street intersections are
being covered. To each three or four
checkers there is assigned relie1 man
so that they will not become fatlgued.
All the policemen throughout the city
doing school boy patrol work have been
taken from their regular duties ana
given the task Of supervising the boys
ct their work. ss -
Mostly High School Boys.
The checkers are principally nign
school BOYS, with q sprinkling OF stu
dents from the junior high scnoois, sc.
iected by their school officials. Inc
American Automobile Association Is
paying the boys $i.25 each for their
work ~ 10
The count, DR.. Mcclintock said, will
show the accumulation Of tramc IN
the congested zone during the business
day. with its fluctuations at half-nour
intervals. Count of buses ana street
cars is being made by experts OF tne
traction companies, which are CO.
operating In the survey.
When all the information desired Is
Accumulated it will be analysed by Dr..
McClintock, with view to a more EN-.
cient regulation of traffic. This Is not
expected to be completed before June.
Besides the count being made today,
there will be various other checks. COM
pletely covering the city's trafhc and
parking conditions, at later date.
The curb parking capacity OF down.
town Washington viii be checked, either
by corps of agents or by aerial photo-
photographs, or by both. -
Another division of the survey win
consist of a count showing the number
Of cars parked in q given block, the type
of car, license number, geographical
distribution as to ownership ana man
ner Of parking.
Retail Store Check.
still another division will be retail
store check, during which every one en-
tering and leaving the large downtown
stores, the amounts Of their purchases
and their means Of transportation Will
/ be ascertained.
Cuestionnaires are to be sent to al
Government employees requesting intor-
nation as to their place OF residence
means Of transportation to and from
work, where they park their cars and
what they would be willing to pay fol
adequate parking facilities provided by
the Government.
The last study to be made under the
survey will be a census OF all on-street
parking facilities, such as garages ano
vacant lots.