Evening star., 1951-12-12
Urges Traffic, Transit Authority

Your newspaper is performing a sig
niflcant public service by the publicity
it recently has given to the increasingly
critical problem Of traffic congestion in
the Washington Metropolitan Area.
Public apathy in this regard seems
largely due to lack of information, not
to lack of interest
The Star, however, erronously has led
its readers to believe, in its issue of
November 18, that only New York, Phil
adelphia. Chicago and Boston have
rapid-transit systems; that subWays are
"the only type of rapid-transit facility
that is seriously considered nowadays;
and that elaborate peripheral park
ways" provide a possible palliative for
the traffic crisis. AS each of these con-
clusions is contrary to fact, you doubt
less will wish them corrected
To begin with. ten other major United
States cities besides those mentioned in
your article have some form of rapid
transit service. The extent of such serv-
ice and the precise character of the
rapid transit facilities varies from one
to another of these metropolitan areas,
but they all have one thing in common:
they all utilize space and time efficiently
through mass passenger movements by
rallied vehicles. Thus, at Cleveland in an
operation which appears to afford great
possibilities for adoption by Washington,
traffic is carried in electric trolley cars
from the downtown business district to
the suburban community of Shaker
Heights, utilizing the right-of-way of a
trunkline railroad, but entirely inde-
pendent Of that railroad. Clevelanders,
therefore, have FAST frequent, inexpen-
sive rail passenger service without at
tendant huge capital outlays for subway
construction.
At least two other cities presently are
undertaking to provide rapid transit
service without indulging in the luxury
of full-f1edged subways with heavy cleo
trio traction. fully engineered perma-
nent way. substantial station structures,
expensive rolling stock lone new subway
car now costs $135,000) and excess ca
pacity power and signaling systems In
Toronto an important trolley route is
being converted to rapid transit facil-
ity by the construction of a subway
sector for that portion of its run in the
central business district. In this manner
the streets are feed of tracks, the need
for specialized rolling stock is elimi-
mated, and the inherent space efficiency
of rail transit is maximized Los Angeles,
faithfully fantastic forever, has dis
penSed with the subway idea altogether,
and secured the passage of legislation
enabling the construction of an elevated
monorail system Gin unashamed imita-
tion of the Wupperkalbahn, success
full German installation over a 30-mile
route to carry passengers from northern
and southern suburbs to the city center
at an average speed of 38 miles an hour.
Concerning superhighwayS. serious
studies indicate that they create more
congestion than they dispel. At least
that's the conclusion of the Port of New
York Authority, which recently found
that the enormous sums spent for park
way and superhighway construction in
that area had not one whit alleviated
traffic congestion. The authority indi-
Gated that comparable expenditure in
support of rallied transport seemed a
more desirable course of future public