Evening star., 1937-06-06
Hit-or-Miss Highway
Building Days Are Gone
States Will Obtain Information for
Guidance in All Projects.

as the steering wheel Is turned to
negotiate curves in the road, the
degree OF curvature is indicated on the
scale and recorded at the maximum
reading.
Determination of what our highway
properties cost us annually in de-
probation, maintenance. and interest,
together with information concerning
the relative use Of the various road
systems by rural and urban residents
and the payments made by these
users, Is the task Of the financial
survey and the road use and road life
studies
At present we do not know the
total annual charge which should be
collected, nor the relative amounts to
be charged to the motorist-truck,
bus, or passenger car owner-to real
estate, or to the general community
for highway benefits. The fact is
recognized, however, that there are
two classes of people who should pay
for hlghWayS-hrSt, those who own
motor vehicles; second, those who do
not" The planning surveys are lead
ing the way to the adoption of an
equitable scale of charges which will
be based upon economic values rather
than legislative whims.
WHILE these various physical in
ventorieS and financial studies
are being made, the question of what
volume and type of vehicles use the
highways is being answered in the
survey of traffic. Traffic surveys are
like the sales records Of a department
store. They tell how much Of the
product-transportation miles We
are selling in each department Of the
highway system, that Is. on our pri-
mary or State roads and on our local
roads
The purpose Of such surveys. then.
is to determine the earning capacity
Of the highways, and to indicate where
we should enlarge and improve our
roads, and the order Of Importance
for such undertakings.
In these studies there are two types
Of counting stations: The key sta
tion and the blanket count station.
Key stations are located at impor-
tant intersections on primary roads,
and are operated at each selected To-
cation for eight hours at time IA
different times during the year-twice
for each day of the week, and during
different hours Of the day
IN ADDITION to the counting Of
passing vehicles. each vehicle is
classified according to type, whether
it is a passenger car, truck or bus,
and also whether it is OF local origin
or out of State. At the time the key
stations are in operation. any peculiar
conditions which might AFFECT normal
traffic volume are noted. Such might
be fairs, ball games, holidays or
weather conditions.
To serve as a check on sampling
methods, an automatic traffic counter
has recently been developed for "a
hour counts. The instrument counts
passing vehicles by means OF two
parallel beams of light which are di-
rected across the roadway onto
photo-electric cell When q vehicle
intercepts the light rays, it is recorded
on time chart AS many as 400 in
Perceptions may be recorded per min
ute, and pedestrians are not counted
by the instrument since both light
beams must be interrupted stimuli
taneously, that is, the object must be
long enough to cover both light
sources, which are 81 inches apart
Second to the key stations are the
blanket count stations, most OF which
are operated on local roads and for
only one eight-hour period These
stations, located at thousands Of in
tersections, will be continually relo-
Gated in the effort to find positions
In the road system where there are
distinct changes in the trafIic pattern.
THE weights and dimensions of
trucks and buses, as we'll as in
formation concerning the nature Of
their haul, are further inquiry Of
are operated throughout the year,
generally operating on one side of the
road for IS days, then for q similar
period for trafflc in the opposite di-
rection. Loadmeter stations are
equipped with small portable scales
which are shifted about and oper-
ated during eight-hour periods at =