Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-21
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
GROWING INVOLVED
National Street Traffic Bu-
reau Bulletin Calls for
End to Congestion.

Street traffic problems, serious as
they are even now, are growing more
involved with each passing day, and
the necessity for competent agencies
to study traffic engineering is not less
ening but steadily increasing. Evidence
Of this is the backward state OF traffic
handling in some of the larger as well
as some of the smaller communities,
according to a bulletin issued by the
National Street Traffic Bureau.
While road and street congestion"
the bulletin states, lis under intensive
study from a Nationwide standpoint,
local action is not as promising as it
might be. Control Of traffic is generally
intrusted to police authorities, ano it
is admitted that not everywhere do
these authorities appreciate the in
tricacies of the situation or the need
for applying to it engineering data and
the trained thinking of specialists. In
one large city the police department
has had traffic engineer on its staff,
but it is now threatening to abolish
the Office and revert to dependence on
main-strength methods Of police off,
GERS. This undoubtedly would be a
backward step.
Solving Problem.
But to effectively get at the prob
lem" the bulletin proceeds, "one must
20 beyond the signal light or the police
mans stick. The solution lies in wider
traffic lanes, as a first step, and the
surfacing of those lanes with types OF
pavement that reduce repair work to
the lowest possible cost To widen
road or street without taking care
at the same time to prolong its period
of service with type of pavement taat
has proven its lasting qualities would
simply add to the tax burden now
weighing SO heavily upon the public,
because there would be more square
yards TO maintain at high instead OF
low cost.
1T takes a wide range of years and
constant pounding in daily service to
provide dependable data for the setting
up of "a street-repair account which the
taxpayer may understand sufficiently
well to make his protest effective when
public pavement problems are up for
discussion.
THE city of Buffalo, N Y" the bull
letin continues, appears to have the
answer on how to hold down pavement
repair costs in the interest Of taxpay-
ers. The annual reports of the Depart
ment of Public Works in that city are
noted for being complete. They cover
period of over 40 years, during which
time asphalt, brick and block stone
have been the standard materials used
for paving, with the result that during
the past two years brick has brought
the average annual repair cost down to
less than l cent per square yard. The
experience Of Buffalo, it appears, af-
fords o safe guide for other cities.
Impractical at Times.
While it would be impractical in
most cases to attempt to widen existing
municipal thoroughfares, owing to abut-
ting property values, there would seem
to be no excuse for perpetuating a
policy of traffic congestion in new in
dustrial and residential areas around
long established centers of population.
The way is certainly open in these new
developments TO avoid at the outset the
packing of traffic lanes in the future by
designing streets wide enough, and
roads, too, for that matter, to make the
policing of such thoroughfares less diff
cult and less liable to cause loss of life
For a municipality to advertise" the
bulletin concludes. for pavement bids
upon a basis Of wear instead Of price
would be a novel procedure, but If traf-
4 fic engineers are to have the full CO.
| operation of the public in keeping mo-
/ tor cars and trucks moving at the low
est possible power cost they must be
/ given not only wider thoroughfares but
! greater strength and tougher surfacing
underneath the wheels"