Evening star., 1941-12-04
Crosstown Bus
Line Forecast
By Hankin
Porter St. Route
To Serve as Test,
Meeting Is Told

Assurance that Washington soon
will be provided with one and pos
siblv two of its much-discussed
crosstown bus lines was given at
the District Building last night by
Gregory Hankin new chairman OF
the Public Utilities Commission, IN
his first general conference win
organized civic groups.
The chairman said he was un-
able at present to give a definite
date for the opening of the flrse
of the proposed lines because details
still are in the hands of engineers
of the Utilities Commission and the
Capital Transit Co.
Enlarging on the subject to re.
porters after the meeting, he an
nounced that the route selected
would extend, in general, from
Catholic University through Porter
street and points west so that 1t
would cross all north and south
lines.
Second Line May Follow.
If this is found to be successful.
he said, a second line then will be
attempted. This additional route.
according to present plans. he re-
vealed, will be farther out from the
heart of the city and may extend
along Military road, one OF the TO-
cations settled upon by certain OF
the civic groups which have backed
the crosstown transportation pro"
posals.
But I am not prepared to say
at this time that Military road will
be decided on definitely" the chair
man cautiously added. THAT. too,
will depend upon details worked out
by the engineers"
| More than 10 representatives OF
civic and utility organizations
gathered in the boardroom OF the
District Building to take part IN
| the forum, a tWo-hour meeting the
chairman said may be followed by
| a second session of similar nature
the first week in January.
! Mr.. Hankin termed mass trans
portation the No. problem OF
! the city and said he contemplated
extensive study of every phase OF
! it. He added in this respect that,
while he would like to see investl-
cations to determine what new Ia
cilities are needed, he was inclined
to favor existing institutions TO the
extent of giving them a chance TO
solve the situation before other
sources were tried.
Considers Express Buses.
AS one of the first steps to solve
the transportation problem, the
chairman said he had in mind a
system of express buses which would
take people directly from thelr
homes to their work in the mornings
and return them during the after
moons without stops between the
points of origin and destination.
The cost must be taken into con-
sideration in establishing such q
system,' he admitted. But 1 think
it will be a great help during the
peak traffic hours to have some
means by which to transport people
back and forth quickly
AS first of the civic group speakers.
Harry N. Stull, president of the
Federation of Citizens Associations.
complimented the chairman on his
forum plan for obtaining advice
from the public and commented that
people usually had to wait until
after the utilities commission had
taken action before they could pro-
test if they were not satisfied.
David E. Wells, representing the
Midway Citizens Association. en-
tered a request for additional street.
cars on the New Jersey avenue and
Fourteenth street lines and for ad-
ditional stops on the Chevy Chase
line.
In answer to suggestion from
Ernest F. Henry of PetWorth Citi-
zens' Association that the people
be furnished paid counsel to whom
they could 60 for information, MI.
Hankin explained that the ap-
pointive power in this instance did
not rest with the utilities commits
sion. He added, however, that if the
District budget would not permit
employment of such counsel, the
commissions counsel should serve
in that capacity.
"The public must be represented
and its interests must be protected"
he said.
Cites Policy on Complaints.
When Milo Brinkley of the
Georgetown Citizens Association
complained of the elimination of
streetcar and bus stops without con-
sulting the people concerned. the
chairman reminded that the COM
mission only the day before had
decided to give the public chance
to voice its complaints before any
action was taken.
A different slant to Mr.. Brinkley's
protest later was given by Harry
Wender of the Southwest Citizens
Association. who complained on the
grounds that concrete streetcar
loading platforms were rising like
mushrooms in all sections of the
city, without consent of the people.
He described this practice as the
most aggravating individual prob
lem citizens of Washington have
been confronted with" and said "it
may be too late to stop these
changes now, but it may keep US
from having any more" He terms
the platforms menace" and cited
one on H street that he said was
half block long.
Others who spoke at the meeting
were George A. Corbin, representing
the Manor Park Citizens Associa-
ton; William A. Duvall, Southeast
Council of Citizens Associations:
Walter F. Bramshall, president of
the Progressive Citizens Association
of Georgetown: Lyman F.. Kebler,
Columbia Heights Citizens Foruml
A. D. Calvert, Lincoln Park Citizens
Association; Louis I. Obergh, Fed
Grafton of Businessmen's Associa-
tions; Mrs. Elizabeth Sullivan OF
Georgetown and Charles A. Burm-
eister, president of the Forest Hills
Citizens Association.
Representatives of the utilities
present. each of whom was intro
duced by Mr.. Hankin, included M.
L. Sperry of the Washington Gas
Light Co.: E. D. Merrill, Capital
| Transit Co.: A. G. Neal Potomac