Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-09
Expert Advice Needed

1t is becoming increasingly clear that there
Is need for comprehensive expert study of
public and private transportation problems of
the growing Washington Metropolitan Area
Regional traffic and transit troubles are so
acute, so diverse and so complicated that mex
pert and haphazard attempts to diagnose and
cure them are apt to prove ineffective, at best.
The end result may be further confusion and
more delay at time when the people of all the
jurisdictions involved are crying for relief
Congress has before it sundry proposals for
investigating and solving Greater Washington's
mass and individual transportation difficulties
The very variety of these plans reflects the
completely of the problems, cutting as they
do, across boundary lines and affecting Federal
District and State interests No single one of
these jurisdictions is competent to make the
sort of impartial, professional survey of the
whole area that is prerequisite of an orderly
consideration of remedial action.
The National Capital Regional Planning
Council is right. There should be a careful
study of the broad situation before Congress is
asked to create a Metropolitan Area Public
Utilities Commission or joint authority on
bridges and highways or any other new agency
The council has Endorsed Representative Broy-
hills bill to set up an interjurisdictonal COM
mission to make this study. This idea is good
as far as it goes. But any such commission will
be seriously handicapped in making it's survey
If it lacks the technical advice of professional
staff completely separated from the local field
There have been valuable surveys in the past
for traffic, parking, transit and similar pur-
poses What is needed now is an objective
study of the entire Metropolitan Area, cover
ing all phases of the problem of moving people
and goods by motor vehicles and streetcars.
New York and New Jersey, faced with SIM
liar interjuriSdictional transportation problems
some years ago, joined in sponsoring a tech
meal survey that resulted in establishment of
the Port of New York Authority. Whether such
an authority would be good thing for Wash
ington and its suburbs is purely speculative at
this stage. So is the question of the form which
the often-proposed Metropolitan Area public
utilities regulatory agency should take. These
and other suggestions o-ordinating Greater
WaShingtons public services have been heard
in and out of Congress in recent years. But
to set up any regulatory body or operating
agency in advance of an authoritative and
exhaustive study of the regional needs would
be to put the cart before the horse.
The developing interest in doing something
to bring about better coordination and control
is highly encouraging. Faster progress could
be made, however, if the National Capital Re-
gional Planning Council, the National Capital
Planning Commission, the Board of Trade and
other organizations could unite their efforts in
support of a single legislative measure. The
Star believes that the best measure would be
one providing for a technical survey under
commission appointed by President Eisenhower
and the Governors of Maryland and Virginia
The Broyhill bill could be amended to require
the proposed interjurisdictional commission to
employ competent experts. This approach will
take longer and will entail some cost, it is true,
but it could avert expensive and wasteful mis-
takes caused by too-haSty, ill-considered action.