Evening star., 1934-03-06
Utilities Commission to Ask
Action After Hearing
Autos Blamed.
DECISION ON TRANSFER
RATES DUE THIS WEEK
Eastbound Massachusetts, Motor
Vehicles to Be Diverted at Du-
pont Circle During Rush.

The Public Utilities Commission
will ask the District Commissioners
to clear the streets Of illegally parked
automobiles and to help generally to
clear a path for street cars to use
their own car tracks.
Many Of the complaints at the pub
lie hearing before the Utilities Com
mission yesterday related to the clut-
tering up of car tracks with private
automobiles and taxicabs, especially
as result of double parking. Riley
E. Elgen, acting chairman, said today
this was something which the Util-
tiles Commission could not control.
As soon as the stenographic transcript
of the hearing arrives, he said, it will
be turned over to the Commissioners
for appropriate action by their law
enforcing agencies.
Other matters, such as the crowd
ing Of street cars. poor equipment
and the like will be taken up by the
Utilities Commission directly with the
Capital Transit Co.
Transfer Decision Near.
Elgen said decision on the present
hodge-podge of transfer rates among
buSses and between buses and street
car companies may be expected this
week. He said he already had his
mind made up. but would not reveal
what was in it before he had a chance
to talk the matter over with Mai.
John c. Gotwals. fellow member Of
the commission.
Specific instances of remedying
complaints as to service. he said, must
wait until after a study of the tran.
script. On one matter, however,
Elgen was emphatic. The bus on the
Anacostia- Congress Heights line must
be replaced Immediately. The testi.
mony yesterday was that this ma.
chine broke down every time it
started.
Curb Dupont Traffic.
Traffic Director William A. Van Du-
ger testified a committee on speeding
up traffic is at work and will report
Friday. One of the experiments to
be tried tomorrow is to cut some traf-
flc out Of Dupont Circle during the
morning rush hour by diverting all
eastbound traffic on Massachusetts,
avenue south at Twentieth street and
east at N street. A. c. Putnam, one
OF the commissions inspectors. testi-
fled that the interference of automo-
bile traffic at that circle is such that
it takes a car four and a half min
utes to journey one-quarter of the cir
Gle, from P street to Connecticut ave-
nue.. inbound.
Capt. Milton D. Smith of the Traffic
Bureau said there were only IA of the
bureaus men available for duty on the
streets in rush hours, and that it was
impossible for such a small force to do
the job of regulating traffic that ought
to be done.
During the recent snow. he said.
many automobile owners we're too
cheap" to buy chains and conse-
quently were afraid to drive up to
the curb in the piled snow for fear
they would not be able to get out
again.
He said that he had personally seen
many of these cars parked at an
angle far from the curb and that
if he had his way he would have
put tickets on all Of them, but Ger
tain public officials" were afraid Of
public sentiment.
Putnam said cars illegally double
parked were the principal cause Of
slow street car schedules.
Reports on Trips.
Many citizens lodged objections at
the hearing
slow riding and other matters. Per-
haps the most specific came from
William NICK. Clayton. chairman OF
the Public Utilities Committee of the
Federation of Citizens Associations.
who had kept notes of several of his
street car journeys after the snow
had melted. Some Of his trips:
Noon February 28-Car 622, board
ed at Georgia avenue and Kennedy
streets, southbound. When it reached
Florida avenue and Kennedy streets
all seats taken and 80 persons stand
ing.
March /, 1890 pm.-Car COS,
boarded at Georgia avenue and Ken
nedy street. At Florida avenue all
seats taken and 19 standing.
Same day. Car 628 boarded at
Fifteenth street and New York avenue
at GAO pm. Sixteen standing on
rear platform at Fourteenth and H
streets and 1s at Fourteenth and U
streets.
March 3. Car 215 boarded at Georgia
avenue and Kennedy streets at 1890
pm. Seventeen standing at that point
lContinuod an pouo RIM