Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-26
Trolley VS.. Bus


Unlike Georgetown across
the creek. Washington itself
has little, II any, civic enter
prise. II 1t had, It's folks would
be up In arms over the move 70
junk our street railways.
Just at q time when mass
rapid transit Is emerging %
the only solution to nerve
wracking, time consuming au.
tomobile trafic congestion
downtown that Is choking the
business center and Federal Of
nee buildings. we ind certain
people trying to force the
scrapping OF streetcars, track
age and all.
At D recent Citizens Transit
Improvement Association meet
ing. trafiic experts, planners
and others gave startling facts
about mass rapid transit.
Theme Of the meeting was,
"Moye people, not vehicles"
A bus carries as many as 10
automobiles do. and o trolley
car carries twice as many as
the bus. and without the an
noyances Of the bus.
Washington has an excel
lent street railway system. It's
underground wires. smooth.
running. quiet and comfort
able cars give the Nations
Capital q metropolitan utility
that delights visitors from all
over the country. Moreover, its
operators are courteous. weli-
trained and helpful to riders.
Why Junk this expensive
equipment and add diesel
powered buses. which are
noisy. smelly. and not a. COM
fortable2 II would take years
before the marginal savings Of
buses would make up the cost
Of one trolley car and its pro
rata part OF the track.
Rail transport has been
found the most efficient. Rob-
ert L. Banks. o transit spe-
cialist. pointed out that as
many as 100000 people can be
moved In an hour on o double-
tracked right Of way. Think
how that would clear the con-
gestion from Washington to
Falls Church and beyond!
In following the theme
Move people. not machines. ]"
q color film by General Electric
entitled Going Places" re-
vealed how millions Of dollars
Of valuable downtown business
property has been sacrificed in
O futile attempt 10 relieve au-
tomobile congestion by widen
ing thoroughfares. The wider
the road. the more the conges-
ton, because more people try
to 60 there.
Mayor Winder Of Pasadena
recently startled people BY
stating the freewAys around
his city costing the fantastic
sum Of 81 billion did not re-
lieve automobile congestion.
III anything It made It worse"
he said. "The only solution Is
mass rapid transit"
Mayor Winder said wider
boulevards and freeways
merely invite more automo-
biles. you move vehicles, but
not people,
Already Washington has
wider streets than most cities.
Cutting away Is feet Of each
building on either side, de-
stroying valuable building
space. would only lead to more
automobiles trying to crowd
into the area.
Washington's broad streets,
its topography. working cen.
tiers and business area lend
themselves well to rail rapid
transit. Let's get the present
Capital Transit out Of the way,
reorganize and go ahead and
build the worlds finest pas
senger transport system.
with silent, swift-moving
streetcars carrying people with
alacrity and ease. and at
lower fares than now prevail,
the Nations Capital can be
made a civil servants and
tourists delight. And that
would mean q lot in the way
Of insuring the prosperity and
happiness Of Washington.
Charles r. Beaxley,
Citizens Transit Improvement
A. -