Evening star., 1934-02-15
CAR AND TRAFFIC
STUDY is OPENED
BY 3 COMMITTEES
Trade Board Groups to Cir
culate $500 Questionnaires
in Organization.
HEARINGS IN HOUSE
WILL BE OBSERVED
Joint Meetings Already Held.
Street Railway Problem to
Receive Special Attention.

A comprehensive study of Wash
ington's transportation problem. TAX
ing in street car service and traffic
generally, is now under way by three
committees of the Washington Board
OF Trade, with a view to making def
mite recommendations to the Public
Utilities Commission, it was revealed
today.
The three groups-Committe on
Public Utilities and Transportation,
Traffic Committee, and Committee on
Streets and Avenues-are now prepar-
ing 10 circulate a QUESTIONABLE deal
ing with the problem among the $500
members Of the Board of Trade.
The survey has not reached such a
stage that the committees will be in
a position to testify at the public
nearing called by Representative
Black of New York, chairman of the
Subcommittee on Public Utilities of
the House District Committee, for
tomorrow night to consider complaints
against the Capital Transit Co.
The subcommittee hearing will be
broadened to include bus service, it
was decided today.
The hearing will be held in the
spacious caucus room in the old House
ONCE Building.
Black said he had been informed
that members of the Public Utilities
Commission would appear and he es-
pecially desired their attendance. The
District Commissioners also should at
tend, he declared. as they might
learn something about Washington
traf1c situation"
To Attend Hearings.
Members of the three Broad Of
Trade groups, however, will attend
the hearings to obtain further in
formation in connection with the
study, John J. Esch, chairman of the
Public Utilities and Transportation
Committee Of the board, said.
In conducting the survey. the trade
committees will use a form to be
drawn up by the Public Utilities Com
mission. II will contain questions
relative to employment, home address
and place of business, mode Of trans
portation used. and routes followed,
time required to travel from home to
office and vice versa, and congestion
end delays experienced.
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, through its city
planner, John Nolan. jr, has been
working with Chief Engineer F. A.
Sager of the Public Utilities Commits
sion in preparing a suitable question
naire. Questions which also have been
under consideration deal with park
ing space used by motorists who
drive to work, and the length of time
they leave their cars in public space.
parking lot, or garage. Routes, trans
fers and other information may be
requested.
Efforts will be made. it was said at
the Commission, to have the ques-
tionnaire worded as briefly as pos
sible in its final form. the belief being
that the less work required in filling
it out, the greater will be the per-
centage of replies.
The Board of Trade committees
have held number of joint meetings
on the matter. Mr.. Esch said, and at
the last meeting on Monday Commis-
sioner Riley E. Elgen of the Public
Utilities Commission was present. 1t
was at that meeting that the decision
to circulate a QUESTIONABLE among
board members was reached.
Commissioner Elgen told the COM
mittee members the matter of cir
culating the cards should be given i'm
mediate consideration so that work of
the commissioners in their study of
the problem may be expedited He
has invited other civic groups to sub
nit reports and recommendations for
betterment of transportation in Wash
ington.
The question Of street railway
tranSportion. which has come in for
much criticism since the Street rail-
way merger, will be delved into by the
trade body's committees, working
jointly.
John H. Hanna, president of the
Capital Transit Co., has been invited
to attend the next meeting of the
group Monday
At the conclusion of the study. Mr..
Esch said today, report summarizing
the findings of the committees, will
be submitted to the directors of the
Board of Trade, carrying recommend
ations for Improvement Of transpor-
tation here.