Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-30
Transit Planning

The difference in terminal
dates of the present transit
franchise and completion of
the mass transportation survey
now being conducted illus
trates the need of continuous
area transit planning. Up to
now we have had much high
way planning and publicity
but only sporadic transporta-
ton planning. The result is
that. while our energetic High
way Department can propose
to spend $272 million for an
inner traffic ring without bat
ting an eyelash. a transit
authority benefiting more peo-
pie is looked at askance be-
cause Cuyahoga County is
borrowing $32 million to build
a subway loop to give the
Cleveland transit system ac-
cess to the downtown area.
The proper needs of the
community for transportation
involve rethinking of the rela-
tive roles of private and public
transportation. The commu-
nifty cannot afford to devote
all its energies to expediting
the private automobile and i'm
peding the bus or Streetcar.
with a policy of millions for
the auto road but not one cent
for mass transit facilities. AS
pointed out by Donald C. Hyde,
the Cleveland subway would
change car riders into transit
riders and save the county
much money on roads.
The Commissioners plan for
a transit authority consisting
of themselves would operate
under the following disad-
vantageS.
% 1t would not be impair
tial, because the Commission
ers are publicly committed to
an all-bus system. If previous
announcements are followed.
the transit properties would be
condemned piecemeal and their
buses, together with other Sec
ond-hand ones, would be used
to service both the streetcar
and bus lines. That this would
result in some curtailment of
service for a month or two be-
comes more and more an I'M
reinstatement. Acquisition by
condemnation, in whole or in
part, would be expensive and
time-consuming.
~ The climate for negotia-
ton for etc properties would
not be favorable, because of
old animosities illustrated by
Mr.. Wolfson boosting his price
to the District and the Com
missioners continual sniping
at the CTC. for example: "The
city has no streetcar system.
The Capital Transit Co. has
it," At least it works.
90 Elementary principles of
cost accounting indicate that
the most efficient use Of re-
sources is to use those you have
if they are in good shape.
Shifting to all buses suddenly
might cost the taxpayers more
than buying the present sys-
tenn, even considering the cost
of track removal. Previous in
sistence on all buses appears
to have been a matter of policy
rather than economics.
Since anything done now
would merely be a prelude to
further legislation implement
ing the recommendations of
the mass transportation sur
vey, a permanent setup is a
thing of the future. 1t would,
therefore, seem expedient not
to unduly alter the present
service. The streetcars, far
from being useless. can be con-
verted to rapid transit or null
tiple units, even for platform
loading. as is being done in
Chicago.
On August 81, 1855, The Star
published an abstract Of the
Public Transit Master Plan,
showing savings in travel time
using rapid transit lines. The
estimated total cost of sos
million, $50 million being for
the subway. compares with the
1912 million proposed for the
inner traffic ring. This plan
was sponsored by the Metro
politan Rapid Transit Co. Of
Washington. Given a relaxa-
ton of the all-bus requirement,
a Government loan of SO mil
lion and cooperative or stock
financing. this group could yet
take over the Commissioners
transit worries.
AS an alternative to an au-
thority either now or later, the
adoption Of this plan as against
the other stock company plans
could be justified on the
ground that the profits would
be plowed back into the plant
for i've years and thereafter