Evening star., 1953-11-30
PARKWAY
Ban on Trucks
Stirs Protests
Route ! Businessmen
Angry Over Traffic
Future of Old Rood

futuTe or Old k00d
Groups along U. S. Route 1.
highly incensed at future traffic
prospects for the old highway,
are organizing to fight the ban
forbidding trucks on the new
Baltimore Washington parkway.
People who live and do busi-
ness along Route /, deploring
the prospect of continuing
streams of truck traffic past
their doors, argue that trucks
should be permitted on both the
inter-city routes to provide two
safe roads instead of one"
The parkway. a high-speed.
limited-acceSs, grass separated
road. already is open to traffic
from Baltimore to the LAUREL
Bowie road. Most of this stretch
was built by the Maryland
Roads Commission and is open
to trucks.
16-Mile Strip Ready in Spring.
The remaining Is miles, under
Federal construction, will be fin
ished next fall to tie into New
York avenue extended. On the
Federal portion, controlled by
the u. S. Park Service, trucks
will be banned.
Leadership in fighting the ban
has been taken by the WASH
ington- Baltimore Boulevard As
sociation, business group Of
about 800 members.
Trucks or no trucks, associa-
ton members agree, the park
way is going to take a toll from
businesses along Route 1,
especially those businesses which
rely on tourist and, other through
traffic. Their chances of keeping
business would be better, they
feel, if some of the truck traffic
is cut down.
But M. H. Bargteil, a motel
owner and association presi-
dent, stressed that the safety
factor, not business, is the pri-
mary concern of his group. AS
plans now stand he sees no
chance of improving conditions
which long ago earned the curv-
ing. undivided roadway the name
of "Old Bloody"
Truck Accidents Cited.
Mr.. Bargteil said he feels
trucks are the biggest factor
contributing to Route l acci-
dents.
A total of 537 trucks were i'm
volved in accidents of all kinds
on the highway last year, State
officials said. In $50 of them.
/ only property damage was in
volved. But 1853 trucks were in
volved in personal injury acci-
dents and IA in fatal mishaps.
The ratio of trucks to passenger
cars involved in accidents was
not available Immediately. But
the total number of accidents on
the highway amounted to 1,433.
One factor often overlooked,
Mr.. Bargteil said, is that much
of the Route / traffic is local
traffic. stemming from the
highly developed residential
areas bordering the highway.
Even when the parkway takes
off some through traffic, he said.
many passenger cars will have
to continue using it.
Roads Commission traffic
counts. quoted by the State Po-
lice, bear him out.
Through Traffic is Small.
In the less-heavily populated
area at Waterloo, Md, for ex-
ample. Route / had a 1852 aver
age daily vehicle total of 22,755.
] At the Baltimore end, the Route
/ / average was up to about
100 At Hyattsville, near the
Washington end, it was 46,678.
One official estimated less than
$4,000 Of the cars made up all
the through traffic. And $4,000
is about the traffic expectation
on the new parkway, the official
said. about a year after it is
opened.
"The traffic counts show that
the people who use the highway
most are the people who live
along it," Mr.. Bargteil said. For
one, I want to know that when
my children go near it they
have a fair chance of coming
home safely"
/ Another association member.
Gerald R. Buchanan, resident
and owner of an ice-cream busi-
ness near the highway, said he
| felt relief afforded the highway
by the parkway would be lust
temporary" Over the years. he
| H1AAS AAACi CdoCo III UOCll VI uCk dIlu
car traffic would make up for
the drop.
Criticizes Road Commission.
Mr.. Buchanan also hit at the
Maryland Roads Commission for
failing to improve Route /. He
charged it is ducking a RESPONSE
bility to people of his area.
Park officials, meanwhile, ar
gued that the parkway. on the
drawing boards of Federal plan
ners for the last two decades,
always has been planned as a
non-truck route.
Unlike Virginia's Shirley high
way, planned as a truck route
from the start, officials said, the
Maryland road was authorized
by Congress as "a limited-acces
road primarily to provide a pro-
tected. safe and suitable ap-
proach for passenger vehicle
traffic to the National Capital,
| ond for on odd;f;n~al v,oo~.z -