Evening star., 1935-05-31

connection at the latter intersection
These cars now proceed west on
Kennedy to Fourteenth and then to
the downtown section. The Kennedy
street tracks from Georgia avenue to
Fourteenth street are to be abandoned.
The route of this line will be along
Laurel, Aspen, Third, and Kennedy
streets, Georgia avenue, and Seventh
street to Pennsylvania avenue loop.
Takoma Park-Rock Creek Line.
The commission also has provided
for a connection from Takoma Park to
Rock Creek loop on Connecticut ave-
nue.. These cars will follow Laurel,
Aspen, Third, and Kennedy streets,
Georgia avenue, Seventh and X streets,
New York and Pennsylvania avenues,
Seventeenth street, Connecticut ave-
nue., Columbia and Adams Mill roads,
and Calvert street to the Rock Creek
loop.
This makes use Of the new track
curve at Seventeenth street and Penn
sylvania avenue, and brings these
cars through downtown Washington.
The present Soldiers Home, Seventh
Street Wharves line will be continued
except that use will be made OF the
straight north and south crossing at
Seventh and Florida avenue for rout-
ing cars down Seventh street instead
of Ninth street.
The commission apparently has
abandoned, for the present at least,
the suggestion that a track connec-
ton be laid between Georgia avenue
and Eleventh street, and the estab-
lishment of an express" street car
service on Eleventh street. This was
not included in the rerouting plan.
Setting maximum reasonable serv-
ice at minimum costs to riders" as an
objective which would lead to street
car success, the commission spared no
words in outlining faults and failures
of the company in the past.
Centers Attention on Control.
Centering attention on the control
of the company, the commission said:
I'm the final analysis success or failure
of the Capital Transit Co. is depend
ent upon those charged with its man
agement. They have dual duty.
Unless they have will to serve and
inculcate like spirit in their agents,
and unless they realize that no
monopoly can now exist in urban
transportation and that it is impera-
tive that pace be kept with other
means of transportation. the efforts
of those who participated in this case
and changes deemed necessary and
proper in the interests of good public
service, will have been in vain.
There is no such thing as an ir-
reducible minimum of passengers,
which will permit the Capital Transit
Co. to exist in the absence of at
tractive service. Disregard OF what
has gone before will mean failure to
the company, and detriment to the
public"
Discussing present conditions, the
commission said existing street cars
generally speaking are heavy, slow in
acceleration, and deceleration. poorly
lighted, noisy to the extreme. uncom-
Portable, as to seating and operation,
and unattractive-especially in COM
parison with the extraordinary ad-
vancement in other mediums of trans
portation. The noise is aggravated
by track conditions.
Improvements Cited.
"The failure of the industry to pro-
vide a modern street car finds justi-
fication only from the short-Sighted
point of view that patronage had fallen
off. causing a disturbing economic
situation"
Discussing recent improvements in
street car manufacture, the commits
sion said "it is nothing short Of sui
cidal to await the arrival of the per-
feet car. The retirement OF anti
quated, underpowered, uncomfortable,
and slow-moving cars now owned by
the Capital Transit Co. is important.
Such cars should be replaced by the
most modern, practical, and attractive
cars that can be obtained at reason
able cost"
The company was given credit for
having purchased and placed in
use since the gerger, December /,
1888, 80 busses having seat
ing capacity of 3,311, and for
having ordered 20 modern street cars
with a total seating capacity of $50.
In rush hours these new cars would
hold 1892, counting strap-hangers.
The new street cars embody many OF
the improved features of the so-called
Presidents conference car.
The commission has ordered re-
placement of worn-out track rails in
a S1.500.000 program. The commits
sion recently notified the company
this work should be finished by the
end of the year. Again, in today's
order, the commission said the COM
pany should rebuild its tracks "in the
shortest practical time" and that
company forces should be expanded
so that the work could be finished
with Dispatch" Undue delay, the
commission warned. would cause dis
satisfaction and inconvenience the
the public.
Bus Substitution Now Opposed.
The commission found that the time
is not ripe for wholesale abandon
ment of street cars and the substitu-
ton of bus service throughout. "The
heavy concentration of movement Of
traffic twice daily, with limited num-
ber of arteries of travel, make the
continued utilization of street cars
necessary" the commission said.
BUSES can be used to Substan-
TALLY supplement street railway service:
and in certain Of the less congested
sections they afford superior serv-
ice, because of their flexibirity.
Indicating its intention to invoke a
larger use of the skip-stop plan OF
operation, the commission said the
principal concern of a car or bus
rider was the time Of travel between
two points, especially in rush hours.
"There are too many stops" the
commission said. "No rigid rule can
or should be followed. Where prac-
ticable a stop at every other inter-
section is adequate, and in the inter-
ests of the public under normal con-
ditions, little if any hardship results
from limited stops since the ultimate