Evening star., 1931-04-26
STAGGERED HOURS !
FOR j. S. PROPOSED
AS TRAFFIC RELIEF
Plan, Successful During War,
Considered in View of
Two Rush Periods. :.
WOULD ALSO CHANGE
SCHOOL OPENING TIME
Safety Feature for Children Ap.
peals to Inspector Brown, Who
Favors Scheme.

Staggering the opening and closing Of
Government departments, and extending
the time OF starting classes in the public
schools from 8 to $50 O'Clock, has been
suggested to traffic authorities as q
means Of relieving Washington's rush
hour traffic congestion.
The plan was discussed Informally
yesterday during q conference between
Commissioner Herbert B. Crosby. Maj.
Henry G. Pratt, superintendent Of police,
and Inspector e. w. Brown, In charge
Of the Trafic Bureau. These officials,
1t Is understood, look with favor upon
the proposal, and believe it merits care
full consideration.
Inspector Brown pointed out that
during the war, when Washingtons
population was suddenly inflated by an
influx of so-called war workers." the
Federal departments operated on
staggered plan. The arrangement at
that time was designed primarily to aid
the street car companies when they
found it virtually impossible to meet
the demand for transportation when
the thousands Of employees went to and
from work at the same time.
Plan Successful Then.
Successful back in the war period in
aiding the transportation problem, the
plan, Inspector Brown thinks, would
work just as satisfactorily now in re-
ducing the morning and afternoon
rush hour traf1c congestion. Conditions
already are serious, he said, and likely
Will become worse when all OF the
Federal workers are concentrated in the
new buildings south of Pennsylvania
avenue.
Opening Of the public schools at $50
o'clock instead of as at present, and
closing them a half hour later. at 3 80
instead of 8, according to Inspector
Brown, would not only Be In the interest
of safety for the pupils, but would aid
the car companies at the same time.
Children leave for school under the
existing schedule at the same time
Government employees start for work,
Inspector Brown pointed out. and are.
therefore, forced to cross streets when
trafic Is at its peak. # the schools
opened a half hour later. he said
traffic would be at a minimum when
the children leave home, and the ac-
cident hazard greatly reduced. More
over. those children who ride to school
on street cars. he declared, would be
spared the morning crush, and there
would be more space on the cars for
the Government workers.
Interested in Safety.
Inspector Brown is particularly in
terested in the plan from the safety
standpoint Of the school children. The
schools, he said, are making additional
demands on the Police Department for
trafic officers to protect the children
in the vicinity Of school buildings, and
he cannot meet all of the requests be-
cause of the lack Of available men.
1t Is regarded as likely that District
officials soon will discuss with the Board
of Education the feasibility of starting
school classes at $50 o'clock The
municipal officials, however, will not
push the plan, 1t was said, II the school
board shows any disposition to object.
The plan for staggering the opening
and closing hours of the Government
departments is expected to be given
serious consideration in connection
with arrangements for handling traffic
in the triangle area. Any arrange
ment that would avoid opening all OF
the Government departments at the
same hour in the morning and turning
out the thousands Of employees at the
same time in the afternoon, traffic ofi-
cials said. would be one of the greatest
single factors in alleviating the rush.
hour trafdc problem.
Concentrated Twice Daily.
With few exceptions, it was pointed
out, the Government employees report
for duty at 9 O'Clock in the morning
and are dismissed at 4:30 In the after
noon. This results in the flood Of trafic
descending upon the downtown section
between $3.50 and 8 in the morning and
a wholesale exodus between 4:30 and
5:00-two half-hour periods when
tramc Is at its height, taxing the facili-
ties Of the streets, the police depart
ment and the transportation companies.