Evening star., 1935-05-11
ROCKVILLE BUSES
TO REPLACE CARS
Bethesda Chamber Told of
New Transportation
Plans for Area.
BY JACK ALLEN.

Modern bus service soon will be
substituted by the Capital Transit
CO. for the electric railway line that
now serves Bethesda, Rockville and
other communities in the southwest
ern section of Montgomery County.
officials Of the traction firm disclosed
today.
Detailed plans for the change are
still in the s>Ntative stage and were
not made public. but it was said they
call for early elimination" of the rail
service and the Inauguration of bus
operations by Midsummer.
The decision to abandon the railway
was voluntarily reached by the trac-
ton company in response to an appeal
from the Bethesda Chamber of Com
merce to Cooperate in a movement
to eliminate dangerous and un-
slightly ravlne assuming form along
Wisconsin avenue as a result of cur
rent paving work.
Full Paving Now Sought.
Officials Of the Maryland trade
body-assured of the railroads assist
ance in their campaign-now plan to
urge the State Roads Commission to
complete the improvement of the
thoroughfare by bringing the entire
surface of the avenue to even grade
and paving it to width of rs feet.
Contractors for the State Roads
Commission are engaged at the pres
ent time in raising the grade of the
traffic lanes on either side of the
Capital Transit Co.'S tracks and paw
ing them to width of 80 feet. The
railway right-of-way, as a result, is
being left in ditch as low as three
feet below the new street level in
some places.
w. B. Bennett assistant to John
Fl. Hanna, president of the traction
firm. made the announcement of the
impending change in service today
after q conference with C. Melvin
Sharpe. executive assistant to the
president, and Chamber of Commerce
officials at Bethesda last night.
Planned for Some Time.
Bennett and Sharpe first made
known their firms decision at last
nights session and told the trade
body representatives the Capital
Transit Co. has had the plan under
consideration for some time.
They said the traction executives
withheld making their final decision
until they definitely determined that
the substitution of buses for the
railway was desired by a majority of
residents in the affected area.
Public opinion has now crystalized
to the point where the company is
convinced that vast majority of
the people affected favor such move.
they added
Bennett and Sharpe discussed the
detailed plans for the change in serv-
ice with members of the Chamber of
Commerce last night but pledged the
arrangements are in shape for public
announcement.
Public Endorsement Expected.
1T is our unanimous opinion" the
trade body officials declared in
formal statement made to The Star,
"that the plan of procedure proposed
by the transit company will meet with
the entire approval Of persons living
In the area affected by the present
rail service and will meet with the in
dorsement of county, State and Dis
trict OF Columbia officials having juris-
diction over these services"
The statement was issued by Will
liam Buckley, president of the Cham
Der Of Commerce; B. w. Parker,
Samuel E. Stonebraker, former presi-
dent Of the chamber; George P Sacks
and A. r. Townshend, jr., directors of
the Bethesda organization.
Bennett told The Star this morning
the Capital Transit Co. will prepare
for the change in service as soon as
the Wisconsin avenue and M street
connections, now being constructed,
are completed, and that the bus serv-
ice probably will be inaugurated by
midsummer. The railroad has been
in operation between Washington and
Rockville since 1892.
75-Foot Highway Promised.
Surfacing of Wisconsin avenue to a
width of rs feet between the District
hne and Old Georgetown road was first
promised by the State Roads Commits
Sion when civic associations in the
affected area selected that plan from
among several proposals submitted by
the highway group.
A contract calling only for paving
the dual traffic lanes was awarded,
However, after the traction company
expressed its inability to share in the
cost Of the work.
The chamber now plans to send a
committee before the Roads Commits
zion and urge that the work be car
red out as originally planned and
that Federal appropriation, if neces-
sary, be obtained for the project. An
other committee will urge the Board
OF County Commissioners to indorse
the plan.