Evening star., 1942-10-15
Shorter Bus Run
During 0ff-Peak
Hours Urged
Park Road Terminus
Proposal Endorsed
By ODT Spokesman

Sf~NSS'hASss
A spokesman for Defense Trans
portation Administrator Eastman to-
day advocated before the District
Public Utilities Commission a sug-
gestion by Traffic Director William
A. Van Duzer that during off-peak
hours all buses of the Capital Tran
sit Co. serving Takoma, Petworth
and Chillum areas be turned back"
at Park road instead of continuing
to downtown Washington, as a
means of saving buses, tires and
gasoline.
F. w. Lovejoy. executive secretary
of the Washington Regional Com
mittee of Defense Transportation
Administrators. Endorsed the sugges-
ton during hearing on proposals
for curtailment and other changes
In and P bus routes as a means
of saving mileage. Many of the
hundred or more citizen representa-
tives attending the session were
organized to protest the suggested
changes.
Mr.. Lovejoy said the regional
committee recognized it may be
necessary to approach the objectives
of the ODT by stages, but he warned
that the results must not be de-
ferred too much"
Under the Van Duzer plan, as dis
cussed by Mr.. Lovejoy, during the
off-peak hours. the Takoma, Pet
worth and Chillum buses would be
looped back through Park road,
perhaps running them as far west
as Mount Pleasant street to Afford
additional connections with street.
car services He said the objective
of such plan was to make big
saving in bus mileage and to make
fuller use of available streetcar
equipment.
Saving Put at 345,000 Miles.
He said Mr. Van Duzer estimated
that such a plan would save 345.000
bus miles per year by such a plan
of short routing all of such buses
during base day service.
Before this discussion arose, there
was a sharp reaction over a state
ment by MI. Lovejoy on the neces-
sity of the public to accept sacri-
fees made necessary by the war.
After stating that the Washington
Regional Committee of Defense
Transportation Administrators ap-
proved "in general the suggested
curtailments of the express and
regular bus services on the and P
lines. Mr. Loveioy said the objective
was to force the public to use street.
cars more and more instead of
buses
He said there was no question
but that the average traveller would
select the eXress bus in preference
to the streetcar when he had a
choice, but that the war was very
inconvenient" for the servicemen
and that I'VE, too," must expect to
accept inconvenience. He said it
would be "splendid' if every one
held the same view. adding that
walking block or two more was
but little inconvenience and
he cited the fact that air raid
wardens are called out of bed to
do their service and that they did
not like this, but willingly accepted
At about this point j. H. Con-
1t as part of wartime necessity.
naughton, one of the citizen spokes-
men, arose to protest that I'VE don't
need this kind of lecture" He de-
clared the public is perfectly willing
to accept whatever sacrifices become
necessary because of the war, but
insisted that Mr.. Lovejoy was max
ing an argument instead of testi-
flying.
Rewriting Suggested.
Mr.. Lovejoy said the regional
committee was in general agreement
with the bus curtailment plans ad-
vertised for the hearing, but added
that the regional committee sug-
gested a revision Of the suggested
program as to the proposed elimina-
ton of the il buses. Instead of
eliminating this service, he sug-
gested rather that the service be
rerouted.
He proposed that the service still
keep Dahlia street as its northern
turn-around. He suggested that the
new routing be down Fifth street,
through Kansas and Sherman ave-
nues and then down Thirteenth
street to the downtown terminal at
the old Post Office Department
building.
Mr.. Lovejoy suggested the use Of
Thirteenth street now had become
advantageous, especially because
reports indicated that the traffic
density on this thoroughfare had
decreased perhaps more than on
other thoroughfares He said the
traffic density on Thirteenth street
was reported to have decreased by
about 80 per cent from what might
have been considered normal last
year.
Ernest F. Henry, representing the
Petworth Citizens Association. later
demanded to know what informa-
ton Mr.. Lovejoy had as to the actual
facts concerning the Petworth and
related services. Mr.. Loveioy said
that. repeatedly, while he did not
have the actual figures as to bus
mileage savings, officials of the
Capital Transit Co. did have them
and would present them later.