Evening star., 1945-12-19
|Backers Testify Today
On Bus Change Plan
For Prince Georges
BY the Associated Press.

BALTIMORE, Dec. 19.-Advan-
tages of proposal to reroute Cap
ital Transit buses in Prince Georges
County will be presented before the
Maryland Public Service Commis-
sion today by the County indie
pendent Trades Association, follow
ing hearings yesterday, at which
the proposed rerouting plan was
termed an inconvenience to the
public.
The hearing was called on a petit
ton by the Independent Trades
Association, requesting the COM
mission to order the transit company
to make the changes. Yesterdays
session, which was given over to
the objectors of the plan, was a
continuation of hearings recessed
November ~. Under the plan buses
would end at the Mount Rainier
Terminal.
Principal witness for the objectors
was Luis Granados, Riverdale, who
said the change would create great
inconvenience to riders, since it
would increase travel time to and
from work, force a change in
schools for many children and Gre
ate severe traffic hazards"
Plan Previously Proposed.
Mr.. Granados contended that the
identical plan had been proposed
by the transit company itself in
1899 and again in 1912, and that
his organization objected then on
the same grounds.
Mr.. Granados was followed by
Mark M. Morgan, Riverdale, who
declared that he had canvassed the
majority" of Riverdale residents,
and had not yet met one who favored
the change.
Another witness, M. M. Rice, Riv-
erale Heights, who described him
self as a War Department trans
portation expert, was asked by Stew
art Purcell, chairman of the COM
mission, if he had considered the
project as an expert.
Expert Disapproves.
Mr. Rice replied, II have, and
disapprove. High-speed trolleys
would be some improvement over
the present equipment, but I doubt
if traffic conditions would permit
them to travel much faster thar
the present cars. I heartily ap.
prove service to new communities
but this should be accomplished by
other means than jamming more
buses into an already crowded ter.
minal"'
Arthur w. Brummell, Washington
newspaper employe, declared unde
questioning, The circuitous rout'
proposed here is not as conducive
to rapid transit as its proponentl
would have the public believe" add
ing that District of Columbia pa
irons disapproved because trolle!
loading platforms already are over
crowded, and the plan would requir,
many persons who formerly CAM
into Washington on the bus to us'
trolleyS.
A study Mr.. Brummell conducted
showed, he contended, that trolley
running from Mount Rainier t.
Washington were already crowded
and the congestion could not be re
lieved by running cars more fre
quently as they already run approx
mately once minute.
Police Chief Testifies.
Mayor Harold A. L. Barker, River
dale, counsel for the Independent
Trades Association, then calles
Henry Caspare, jr., chief Of polio,
of Colmar Manor, who testified tina
the Barney Street Bridge over which
the new route goes and which oppo
nents had called a traffic hazard
had been the scene Of only thre
accidents in the past year, and tina
two of those had been the result o
drunken driving.
He also stated that the Thirty.
eighth street corner leading to tn,