Evening star., 1941-10-28
ruffic
Continued From First PageD

Continued FROM FIRST Pageb
hcation for q boost in the gas tax
and how the added revenue would
| be used.
There will be no attempt on the
! part of this subcommittee TO assume
administration of traffic" Senator
Burton announced. We are con-
! cerned only with the legislative
background, legislation that is need
ed to remedy the traffic situation"
Capt. Whitehurst, who followed
! Commissioner Kutz on the witness
! stand. gave the subcommittee the
/ historical background of the gaSo-
/ line tax and planning surveys made
in the past as a prelude to traffic
Improvements.
When the gasoline tax was first
/ collected in the 1925 fiscal year. he
said, the revenue amounted 10 about
100000, whereas receipts in the last
fiscal year, including motor vehicle
fees which go into the special high
way fund. totaled S5,79l .063. In the
current fiscal year he estimated the
income would amount TO s6.2lO.OOO.
or slightly in excess of the collec-
tions last year, despite an increase
in population.
Regarded rs Service.
! Capt. WhitehurSt revealed that
the special highway fund would be
drawn on TO capitalize the proposed
/ fringe parking lots until they be-
! come elf-sustaining.
We look upon the providing Of
off-street parking facilities as a
| service he declared, and not as an
additional source of income"
I Capt. Whitehurst said it is the
intention OF District officials to keep
the latest highway planning survey.
on which the long range $4,000 900
improvement program is based. up
to date because. he pointed out. the
traf1lc picture is ever changing"
t Il don't think the problem will
/ ever be solved" he declared. There
is no magic wand to wave. If we
stopped keeping our data current
We would know no more next year
than we did five years ago"
In some detail Capt. Whitehurst
discussed the results of the last
highway planning survey and ex-
planned that traffic congestion is
due primarily to the physical layout
OF the District. He likened the city
to wheel and explained all traf1ic
tries to pass through the hub in
stead Of around it.
Need Terminal Facilities.
To remedy congestion at the hub.
he pointed out, additional facilities
would first have to be provided for
traffic from the hub into the vari-
Gus sectors that surround it as well
as into Maryland and Virginia
Moreover, he declared. terminal
facilities will have to be provided
Capt. Whitehurst read excerpts
from the voluminous report on the
survey and explained that as q re-
suit five basic conclusions had been
reached for improving the traffic
situation, the first of which is estaD-
lishment of radial trunk highways
out of the center OF the city. Then
he cited various projects listed In
the long-range program in the order
of their priority,
IF weahad started on these things
five years ago. he declared, we
wouldn't be involved in this situa-
ton today"
After reading from the highway
planning report the various projects
recommended for the current fiscal
year, Capt. Whitehurst explained
that some of them would have to
be delayed if Congress approves a
1-cent instead of a 2-cent raise in
the gasoline tax.
The subcommittee recessed the
hearing shortly before noon and
will resume tomorrow at $50 am.
Capt. Whitehurst will be recalled
to the stand at that time to discuss
plans for establishing fringe park
ing lots.
Secretary of the Interior Ickes has
been invited to testify at the current
Senate hearings, but trip to the
West Coast will prevent him from
appearing. However. the subcom-
mittee has been informed that some
official of the Interior Department
will represent Mr. Ickes.
The invitation was sent to Secre-
tary Ickes by r. F. Camalier, aide
to the Senate District Committee
following reports that the Interior
Department head was vitality inter-