Evening star., 1935-10-11
SOLUTION SOUGHT
FOR CONGESTION
Motor Club Committee to
Invite Cooperation of
. Various Leaders.

Cooperation of all civic, business
and financial leaders of the Nations
Capital in finding a solution to con-
gested traffic conditions was sought
today by the A. A. A. District OF Co.
lumbia Motor Club.
A special subcommittee Of the local
motor clubs advisory board decided to
invite representatives from all citi-
zens' associations, trade bodies and
other interested groups to form an Or
ganization that would study the entire
congestion problem with particular
attention being directed to the pro-
posed subway system for the District.
Because of the wide number of in
tereSts involved by any proposal to
reduce traffic congestion-and this Is
particularly true of the subway
scheme-the best possible approach to
the problem appears to be formation
Of large committee that not only
will give every interested party an
opportunity to be heard, but also will
make possible a united front for or
against the numerous plans that have
been or may be advanced" the A. A. A.
declared. Arrangements for Great
ing the proposed traffic congestion
committee are going forward rapidly,
and the first meeting will be held as
soon as is practicable.
Opposition to Subway.
Vigorous opposition to construction
OF subway system in Washington
was expressed at the subcommittee
meeting by John Ihlder, chairman of
the Alley Clearance Commission. Mr..
1hlder, who has studied subway condi-
tions in several principal cities, de-
Clared that subways give only tempo
rary relief and eventually add to the
congested conditions they were de-
siged to eliminate.
"Subways," he said, tend to con-
centrate, not to distribute, population
by coufining it to small terminal areas
and to long, narrow radiating lines.
Property any distance away-two or
three blocks or more, tends to become
decadent. The automobile. on the
other hand, tends to bring into active
Use all the property within the cir
cumference of the city"
Declaring that subways are the most
expensive and unpleasant form Of
transit, Mr.. Ihlder said the alternative
is to provide adequate means Of trans
portation on the surface-including
wide streets and adequate parking
facilities to allow free flow both of
private passenger cars and of mass
transportation facilities. such as street
cars, busses and so on. Intelligent city
planning, he declared, should envisage
wider distribution of population and
not its concentration, and said sub
way would be great detriment toward
carrying out such an orderly plan.
Peoples Counsel's Views.
Arguments in favor Of the subway
system had been advanced at an earlier
meeting of the Advisory Board by
William Roberts, peoples counsel, who
said that the Government, largely
responsible for congested conditions
through stupid concentration" Of
buildings, should shoulder at least one
half the cost Of construction, which he
estimated at approximately $4,000, 600
q mile.
The pros and cons of the subway
question will be the first item on the
agesda Of the large Traffic Congestion
Committee. If the organization should
decide that subway Is not the proper
solution Of the congestion problem
it will then proceed to consideration
Of other measures designed to improve
street conditions.