Evening star., 1942-10-16
Express Streetcars
Proposed for Portion
Of Geogia Avenue
Capital Transit Official
Asks PUG Study Plan
To Save Bus Tires. Cos

Dean j. Locke, stan engineer for
the Capital Transit Co., today sug-
gested to the Public Utilities
Commission further studies of the
possibly Of instituting an expert
mental express service" on .por-
ton of the Georgia avenue streetcar
line.
He advocated such step to make
that car line more desirable to it's
riders, in view of current proposals
for short routing and other modifi-
cations of buses serving the Takoma,
Chillum, Manor Park and Petworth
areas. These changes, which have
met with opposition from many
citizen spokesmen, we're offered as
a means of saving buses, tires and
gasoline.
Gregory Hankin, PUG minority
member, questioned whether express
streetcar service would be feasible.
and Mr.. Locke said he thought it
would be, but agreed that it would
be an experiment and that the plan
was something that had no real
precedent. He suggested that the
Georgia avenue cars be express be-
tween Georgia and New Hampshire
avenues and an intersection near
the business center. Massachusetts,
avenue was suggested as the south
ern limit.
Would Need Buses, Also.
Mr.. Locke explained that it would
be necessary to institute bus service
to parallel the express portion of the
car line for local service.
The company spokesman, in sum-
marizing the several plans to modify
the so-called express bus services
involved in this case said it was
estimated that the changes would
result in a saving Of perhaps 1,OOO,-
600 bus miles per year, or 5000, 900
tire miles annually. He said the
bus mileage saving, If actually ac-
complished, would amount to about
one-third of the total bus miles now
operated by all of the affected bus
lines.
He estimated that perhaps "a
many as 5000 persons would change
from bus service to street car service
as result of the proposed changes,
but conceded that the figure might
not prove that high. officials of
the ODT and the transit company
have declared war conditions and
the scarcity of buses and tires made
1t necessary for large numbers of
riders to change from buses to street
cars.
Mr.. Hankin demanded to know
why Mr.. Locke was urging plans to
force bus riders in the present cases
to change to street car service.
whereas the company spokesman in
recent case opposed the suggested
elimination of the Alaska avenue
section of the So bus line,
Implies Discrimination.
Mr.. Locke explained that the diff.
ference was that the So bus was
local service. whereas the lines
concerned in the present case were
of limited stop" buses which af-
forded riders preferential service"
Residents of the areas lett no
doubt after full days hearing yes
terday that they opposed changes
relating to curtailment of bus serv-
Ice, but 1t was declared repeatedly
that these residents were as willing
as any to accept any sacrifice proved
necessary by war conditions.
A part OF yesterdays hearing was
devoted to testimony by Mr.. Locke.
He testified that the Takoma, Pet
worth and Chillum buses were
bleeding" the Georgia avenue street
car line because they were in close
proximity to it.
Fred D. Sager, chief engineer OF
the PUG, testified that the short
routing plans were desirable because
1t was estimated 1885, 900 bus miles
already had been saved by short
routing on other lines. He said also
that only q limited number OF new
buses ordered for Washington had
been delivered, in keeping with the
new national policy Of restricted bus
manufacture and q pooling OF the
limited new equipment according to
vital needs.