Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-16
Road Officials
Query Transit
Plans in D. E..
Highway ,SIushes,
Rail Financing
Are Questioned

District, Virginia and Mary
land highway department rep
resentatives today questioned
financial and roadway aspects
of the National Capital Trans
portation Agency's transit pro-
posal for the Washington area.
Robert A. Keith, chief trans
portation planner for the
agency, briefed the Traffic and
Highway Board on the transit
proposal at a meeting in En-
gineer Commissioner Frederick
j. Clarke's office in the Dis
trict Building.
The latest transit proposal
will increase peak hour transit
riding into the downtown area
only 10 per cent over the system
recommended in 1859, Mr.. Keith
said. The 1859 system also would
divert substantial numbers of
riders from use of private auto
mobiles, he said.
S2-MiIe System
The 1859 transit system rec
commended 32-mile rail system
with four lines, compared to
the 1862 system of 83-miles
with eight rail lines. The
transportation agency's report
said their system, which would
cost 1898 million, would trans
port so per cent of rush hour
commuters into the downtown
area.
Harold Aitken, District High
way Department director, asked
MIR. Keith:
How can your system prom
Use to pay for itself, when al
most every transit system in
the United States has been in
financial trouble for some time?
1.-THE New York City transit
system is subsidized almost
500 million a year so it can
stay in business. In San Fran
cisco, the proposed transit
system is going to be paid for
by bonds based on real estate.
How will the Washington sys-
tenn be able to pay for itself
from passenger fareS?"
Fares Too Low
Mr.. Keith said the New York
system was in trouble for two
reasons.
First, it's an old, antiquated
system; and second, it has g
15-cent fare.
IF the New York system
raised its fare to Is cents i
could eliminate the deficit,
Mr.. Keith said.
George Lewis, chief of thu
Bureau of Traffic for the Mary.
land State Roads Commission
said:
| Don't you think a raise in
fares would drive away pas
Sengers?"
Mr.. Keith said a raise in New
York City fares would not af-
feet peak-hour use, because of
high parking costs in down.
town New York.
Walter Schilling, executive di-
rector of the Northern Virginia
Regional Economic Develop
ment and Planning Commits
sion, said he felt that the
agency's cutback in highways
would be a net loss for the
suburbs.
IF you take away the high
ways and don't give us much
of an. increase in transporta-
ton facilities, we will have less
transportation facilities than
planners think we need"
c. G. Stoneburner, Arlington
County highway director, said
he was concerned over the
transportation agency's recon-
mendations to cut Route sc
from eight to six lanes.
Added Insurance
"The two extra lanes mean
l33 per cent more capacity,
which might be insurance
against having to cut another
freeway corridor across Airing
ton County later" Mr.. Stone
burner said.
Mr.. Aitken said the highway
departments feel it is impos-
sible to analyze the latest
transportation report without
the backup data which will be
in several appendices to be
published around January /.
I'VE will make the intermedi-