Evening star., 1942-06-30
200 Make Plea
For Bus Line
On Military I'd.
Crosstown Service
Urged by Spokesman
For Thousands


thousands of Washington bus
patrons today demanded establish
ment of a crosstown bus line gen.
orally using Military road. at a
formal hearing on this and related
matters opened today by the Public
Utilities Commission
Spokesman for the Capital Transit
Co. indicated opposition if the facts
showed, as they suggested they
would, that at least portion of the
proposed new line would be matter
of convenience instead of necessity,
and If 1t meant operation of addi-
tional buses.
z. D. Merrill, company president,
mentioned Federal orders for con-
serving tires and gas and for post
poning any unnecessary extension
OF bus service. as reason why the
outlined proposals would not be
found to be justified. He put the
issue on the basis that if the pro-
posed new line would not save tires
and gas and would mean use of more
instead of less vehicles, it should
not be granted.
Mentions Proposed New Lines.
In this connection he mentioned
particularly the proposed new Ne
braska avenue bus line to operate
from Pinehurst through Nebraska
avenue and the Loughsborough road
section to Conduit road at Macomb
street. This would give brand-new
bus service to the section between
Spring Valley and the Potomac
River.
After a score of spokesmen for
many citizens groups and commu-
nifty groups had entered their ap-
pearances and called for approval of
the new crosstown line. company
spokesmen sought to place the bur-
den of proof on the proponents of
the new plans, but lost out on the
issue.
When the commission then asked
the company to state its case, S. R.
Bowen, company counsel, insisted
that proponents should be required
to prove the need for their requests.
Nathan M. Lubar, president of
the Steering Committee for the
Crosstown Bus Line. said he repre-
sented So citizens associations, and
George A. Corbin, spokesman for
the Manor Park Citizens Associa-
ton. Immediately declared the citi-
gens had proved their case year
ago, at the first crosstown bus hear
ing. They argued it was up to the
company to prove the new line was
not needed, if it could.
Continuation of Case.
Commission Chairman Gregory
Hankin disposed of this issue by
announcing that today's hearing
was a continuation of the first
crosstown bus case, which resulted
in establishment of a crosstown bus
line running from Westmoreland
Circle to Bladensburg road NE,
using Klingle Road as the crossing
for Rock Creek Park.
Mr. Merrill agreed that the first
crosstown line is carrying a large
number Of passengers, and he said
his company had had no objection
to that route. He said its operation
lifts" many passengers off the
main radial bus and streetcar lines
outside of the maximum loading
area" thereby tightening the serv-
ice demands on these routes.
He said the proposed new cross
town line could be justified only if
there were a similar result from
its operation, and suggested this
would not be the case, particularly
as to the new Nebraska avenue
service to Conduit road, which was
suggested by the commission as
substitute for the Chevy Chase
loop line.
Brinkley Answers Merrill.
Mr.. Merrill was answered by Milo
H. Brinkley. representing the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations, who
said there were a great number of
people who would board buses be-
tween the Klingle road line and
the proposed Military road line, who
would travel in the opposite direc-
ton from their present trips if the
new Military road line were oper-
ating. Mr.. Lubar also argued there
was greater need now than last year
for the new line. and he said it,
would effect a saving in tires and
gas by shortening many trips, since
about 80 per cent of the people liv-
ing on or near the Military road
route want to go to points on or near
this route instead of downtown.
A number of spokesmen protested
against the commissions suggested
elimination of the present Chevy
Chase loop line, and the suggested
institution of the new Nebraska ave-
nue. line and a shuttle bus on West
ern avenue as substitutes, and some
spokesmen sought extension of the
planned new routes to give better
service to the Foxhall area, Pine
hurst, Barnaby Woods, Kent and
other residential areas in outlying or
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