Evening star., 1953-10-16
Traffic Farley
On Downtown
Congestion Set
Business, Truckers,
CupitoI TrunsitAsked
To Nov. 10 Meeting

A four-way conference on
easing traffic congestion on
downtown F, G and Seventh
streets will be held at 2 pm.
November 10.
Brig. Gen. Louis w. Prentiss.
District Engineer Commissioner,
called the meeting for represent
tatives of the Vehicles and Traf-
f1c Department, downtown busi-
ness, truckers and the Capital
Transit Co.
The Commissioner made the
announcement shortly after re-
ceiving a letter from the transit
company, protesting inaction of
the traffic department to try to
solve the traffic problem on the
three streets.
James H. Flanagan, a COM
pany vice president, objected to
the apparent failure of Traffic
Director George E. Keneipp to
study detailed traffic and park
ing survey made by Capital.
Transit last summer. The up
shot of the survey was a recon-
mendation that parking restric-
tionS should be frightened.
Attacks Reaction.
Mr.. Flanagan pointed out
that the only concrete sugges-
tions made by Mr.. Keneipp in
response to the company survey
were proposals that streetcar
platforms be relocated in the
critical areas.
These proposals, the company
official asserted, deal in gen.
eralities completely unsupported
by logical argument or demon
strable fact" The company sur
vey, he added, should receive
more serious consideration from
the department concerned with
such problems, than has been
apparent to date"
The big complaint of Capital
Transit is that too much park
ing on G street between Ninth
and Fifteenth, F street between
Ninth and Fourteenth and Sew
enth street between Pennsyl-
vania and Rhode Island avenue
SnarlS streetcar traffic to an ex-
tent that "streetcar riders are
being delayed an unreasonable
length of time" At issue, Mr..
Flanagan contended. are the
vital interests of 62 per cent of
the shoppers and the economic
welfare of the city as a whole. I"
Completes With Pedestrians.
ut is difficult" Mr.. Flanagan
reminded the Commissioner, ito
attract patrons if they are able
to walk a number of blocks as
fast as the Streetcar can conduct
them over the same distance"
The intense interest" of the
company in solving the traffic
problem, he added, is to furnish
more attractive service to the
public"
Gen. Prentiss said yesterday
that he. too, has a sincere in
terest in improving mass trans
portation so more people will use
it. But. he added, he wants to
solve it, not only as a problem Of
Capital Transit alone, "but of
the people of the city, the mer-
chants and the truckers" who
must use downtown streets to
make their deliveries.
Street Capacity Outlined.
The transit company survey
a minutely detailed check occu-
pying some so pages of charts
and data-included these find
ings and conclusions:
/. Curtailment of the use Of
281 metered parking spaces in
the critical areas would have no
appreciable effect on business in
the shopping districts.
2. All three street areas in
question are now operating
above practical capacity with
the few parking restrictions that
now exist" This practical
capacity" ranges from $50 to
200 vehicles per hour. With
further parking restrictions. the
capacity could be increased to
from 200 to $50 vehicles per
hour.
3. Increasing parking restric-
tions will permit commercial
vehicles to have adequate load
ing facilities at curbside which
will eliminate the double-park-
ing problem that so congeStS
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