The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1948-07-15

Se0LdL1VeS OF several IUcdl OTSdIllLd-
tons, the traffic survey report re-
Gently received from the State of
Maryland State Roads Commission,
the Board of Street Commissioners
recommended that the following
four streets should be made one
way on 60-day trial basis:
Franklin Street west from Can
non Avenue to West Side Avenue.
Washington Street east from West
Side Avenue to Cannon Avenue.
Summit Avenue and Jonathan
Street north from Park Circle to
Pennsylvania Avenue.
Prospect Street south from Penn
sylvania Avenue to Park Circle.
The Street Commissioners recon-
mendation also included the continu
ing of parking as at present on the
four streets, and also the continuing
of Locust and Mulberry Streets as
= one-way streets.
During the discussion, the traffic
situation in Hagerstown was fully
explored, and everybody present
was allowed plenty of time to state
their views. There was, of course,
quite a difference of opinion as to
the need of one-way streets, and
also quite a difference of opinion as
to the value of the survey and re-
port, on which the sum of $4,000
was expended.
For instance, H. L. Mills, one of
the Street Commissioners, stated
that the report wasn't worth II
cents and that practically every
thing in it had already been sup
piled by the local traffic committee
of representative citizens who made
their own report,
In answer to this, however, Coun-
Gilman Claude Potterfeld explained
that in order for the city to be eli
gible to receive federal funds for
road building, such report was
necessary, and that was one of the
primary reasons why it was COM
pleted.
Following the meeting, the May
or announced that there will be an
executive meeting of the Mayor and
Council tonight (Thursday), at
which time they will discuss the
recommendation made by the
Board of Street Commissioners. Of
course, I'm not in any position to
say what's going to take place at
that meeting, but l will venture this
guess:
The Council will adopt the recon-
mendations made by the Board of
Street Commissioners, with the fol-
lowing additions. In addition to the
four streets recommended as one
way streets, the Council will also
make Potomac Street one-way
street south, from about Wayside
Avenue to where Locust Street
joins South Potomac Street, and
they will, reverse Locust Street and
make it a one-way street north, from
its intersection at South Potomac
Street out to the northern end of
the street. Finally, they will either
reverse Mulberry Street and make
it one way south, or convert it
back to a two-way street.
In my opinion, it is just as nee
essary to make Potomac Street a
one-way street as it is any of the
four recommended by the Board of
Street Commissioners, because it is
one of the heaviest travelled streets,
particularly by trucks, in the en-
tire network of city streets.
have read the report of the traf-
fic survey in its entirety, and while
it is an exceptionally fine piece of
work, it is my humble opinion that,
considering the fact that it covers
probably a 20-year traffic period
with an ultimate expenditure of sew
eral million dollars, it will probably
be out of date by the time the ma
jor portion of its recommendations
could possibly be carried out. And
/ also believe that, outside the fact
that the report was necessary if the
city at some future date is to get
federal funds, the report of the traf-
fic committee set up by the Hagers-
town Chamber of Commerce, of
which A. F. Macdonald is president,
was adequate for all the present-day
traffic changes needed by the city.
Concluding this discussion of the
traffic survey and report, let me
congratulate Mayor Sweeney on at
last giving out an advance notice
that an executive meeting is to be
held (and / certainly feel that the
Mayor and Council are entitled to
hold executive meetings from time
to time), instead of denying that