Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-03-19
Continued from Page 1

Tokyo. Yep, those are all big
cities. Toledo is a small town.
Now that we know the
thing is crazy, can't and won't
be done, is too fantastic; let's
sit back and listen to what
this guy Burke has to say. 1t
ought to be good comedy
very entertaining. The poor
guy used to talk sensible once
in a while.
This guy Burke has funny
idea that traffic on the city's
streets has grown beyond the
capacity of the street to carry
it. Another peculiar idea of
his is that because of this con-
dition the transit system can
not operate at full efficiency.
Therefore, most of the fac
tories have to maintain large
parking lots or the employees
have to park their cars on the
streets. The downtown traf-
fic condition is a hopeless
mess. Parking your car is a
major operation even If you
pay a parking fee in CONNER
cial lots and garages when
you are fortunate enough to
get in them.
COMMUNITY
Every village, town, or city
in the world becomes a COM
munity in the first place be-
cause of the human need to
have a central place in which
to carry on the contacts with
other people which are nee
essary to maintain life and So
ciety no matter how primi-
tive. This rule holds true in
every level of human exist
ence from the savage jungle
village TO the most highly de-
veloped urban community. We
look to our community center
as the axis of our life because
our commerce, amusement,
government and much of our
social contact is largely quar-
tered there. Many 60 there to
perform their daily work be-
cause they are enaged in serv-
ices to the people and the
community.
Because traffic has grown
beyond the capacity of the
streets, the mass transporta-
tion system gets less patron
age. This Is because in
traversing the own town
streets, the busses and street
cars become slow moving and
an excess amount of the
riders time is spent waiting
for and riding the vehicle.
At the same time, the buses
and street cars are being OBJ
structed by other traffic and
they, in turn, are obstructing
the other traffic because of
the necessity of their numer-
Gus stops and starts. We,
therefore, have a vicious
circle.
BUSTING AT SEAMS
When any device or con-
tainer reaches full capacity
and starts busting out at the
seams we look for ways and
means to relieve the pressure.
On rivers, we build dams,
spillways, and floodgates to
prevent floods. In steam boil
ers, we install safety valves.
In dangerous machinery, we
use shear pins so that when
an overload is applied the pin
shears and the shaft runs
free of the overload. In the
atres and public gathering
places, we require by law
plainly marked and easily ac-
cessible exits.
Therefore, IL Is necessary
that we find the means of re-
lieving our traffic pressure.
This can be done in general
terms in one of two ways.
First, we can eliminate the
pressure by eliminating the
commerce that caused il. This
results in a blighted central
city area that not only looks
seedy and rundown but also is
valueleSs. This is like cutting
off an arm to get rid of a
hangnail. Second, we can find
new facilities for handling the
traffic flow and diversifying
its impact.
The first method has been
done as a natural uncontrolled
result Of the condition. This
has resulted in some business
decentralization of the busi-
ness area to outlying business
centers which in turn have
themselves become problems
of congestion.
We have made some at
tempts at the second method.
These have met with some
success but they haven't lick
ed the problem. The one way
street systm is a good ex-
ample of this. II has helped
and II is hard to say what
would happen if it were elimi-
mated now. On the planners
drawing boards, work is going