The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-02-20
NOTHING ABOUT
 THE PEDESTRIAN
What Has Become of Petit ton For F0Otpaths
 On State Roads?
SAFETY IS FORGOTTEN

Explaining that the introduction into the general assembly of bill designed to abolish the bureau of roadside development had brought innumcrable questions concerning 1t which revealed that there was q general misunderstanding of it's work, Highway Commissioner John A. Macdonald today stated that the scope of the bureaus work was far more expansive than generally be- licved.
 "The false opinion that the work of the bureau of roadside develop ment was confined 10 the beautih- cation of the roads by the planting Of trees and shrubs evidently came from the fact that this was true several years ago when the bureau was known as the landscape divi- sion," Commissioner Macdonald explained.
 This is no longer true, however. At the time the highway depart ment moved the various offices which had been located in differ. ent buildings into the new State Office Building, it was decided that the department as whole should be reorganized in the interest of efficiency and economy. While the offices were in different locations, 1t was necessary to carry on some duplication of work, which dupli- cation has since been entirely elim- mated.
 "In reorganiZing the department it was decided to place the major activities into five bureaus and to establish a definite policy and rules of procedure for each bureau. The bureau of roadside development, therefore. became consolidation of the previous landscape division and several activities which were taken from other bureaus. In other words, tho bureau of roadside de- velopment has supervision and maintenance of everything on the roadSides outside the outer gutter edge except drainage and also the supervision of all waste areas. Sev- oral activities such as roadsid 0 moving, removal of dead and dan gerous trees, maintenance of rock slopes and clay and gravel slopes end embankments were thus trans ferred from the maintenance bu- reau, where the costs had been taken care of from the fuEGs al- lotted to that bureau, to the bureau of roadside development. and the cost assumed by the bureau Of roadside development.
 There seems to be little mis- understanding or lack of knowl- edge as to just what the function of the bureau of roadside development Is. The work of the bureau Hay now be described as follows:
 Maintenance. cleaning an q moving of roadsides; maintenance of old shade trees as Q matter of safety to the public as well as for their appearances: maintenance of Cld milestones as a matter of his- toitcal importance; maintenance of rock cuts, seeding and planting of slopes and embankments to stabilize them, thus preventing landslides into the traffic area as well as beautifyinS them and re- ducing maintenance: necessary grading to reduce traffic hazards at intersections and blind curves.
 "Construction and maintcnancn of highway gardens. picnic grounds parking areas; gradine and i'm proving roadsides and waste areas. maintenance of existing trees. shrubs and vines planted during the past few years. The planting of new trees comprises about one. tenth of tho work.
 Thus, 1t may be seen that beau tification is really the smaller part of the work of tho bureau. while tho major part consists of duties which protect the public safety and prevent the outbreak of forest fires from roadside sources.
 "The conservation of native trees and shrubs Is carried on extensive ly. and n large percentage of the plantings made are of this type of material. which has been collected q from rights of way where it would be destroyed by construction work. from roadsides where 1t is too thick, and from fields and wood- land where the owners allow our