Evening star., 1962-09-30

parkway. expressway and street
and that's your ar
terial budget. Your money viii
come from certain categories in
the public treasures fed largely
by taxes collected from highway
users or from tolls paid directly
by users. Well-managed authori-
ties have contributed enormously
to every type of neglected arterial
construction. I admit that unfor-
seeable inventions and devices
and imponderable factors of ad-
ministration, politics, opposition
and chance also have their in
nuence on this accounting, but
there is no way Of measuring
them. So they must be left out.
And there's another $64 question
since Government Is the first
business of the District, how much
viii it expand? Nevertheless, in
spite Of the CLANCY factors, you
come up with o fairly reliable
formula which can be translated
into specific projects. costs and
time schedules.
Let us turn now to a few
highway definitions. A parkway is
q vehicular ribbon park, re-
stricted to passenger vehicles,
protected by coming and other
wise against access, signs and en-
croachments, Handicapped with
ornamental bridges and light
ing, at least 400 feet wide,
usually accommodating six but
rarely more than eight lanes,
with generous cloverleaves and
long radii, with occasional turn
offs, parking spaces, overlooks
and small parks. An expressway
is 3 mixed traffic automotive re-
stricted artery with many Of the
aspects and amenities Of a park
way, but q superior boulevard
rather than q ribbon park. After
the expressways come ordinary
roads and streets which need no
definition and are not part of the
basic framework Of the region.
Same LOeoI Program
The outer loop of a logical.
sane, comprehensive program of
arterial improvements, adopted
some time ago, will be finished
in 1854. This program widely and
justifiably acclaimed includes an
inner loop and radials leading
to the major interstate routes of
the Federal Highway System in
Virginia and Maryland. Forty mil
lion dollars Of unspent Federal
Highway Aid is available and an
equal amount Of new money is
being apportioned. Congress,
however, has withheld appropria-
ton Of matching funds. Detailed
plans, right Of way acquisition,
tenant relocation and further
construction have therefore been
arrested for reasons difficult to
understand.
It is not in the public interest
to delay this program on the
theory that an as yet undisclosed
and undetermined rapid transit
system viii make such highway
arterials unnecessary or ma
terially alter the projected net
work. No doubt rapid transit rail
systems win be proposed from
time to time in the future, but
their acceptance and financing
are highly problematical because
in q city Of the size Of Wash
ington the initial cost is too
great, subsidies are hard to come
by and no fare structure can be
visualized which will support the
system. Meanwhile Washington is
q car and bus town and every
effort should be directed to the
improvement Of these conven-
tional. established and popular
modes of transit. One of the
strongest arguments for the new
expressway system is that it will
greatly facilitate the movement
of buses.
Roll VS.. Rubber
There has been much agitation
recently over commuter transpor-
tation. that is. rails versus rub
Der, accompanied by garbled his
tory, random charges Of discrirn-
nation, misleading statistics ant
gloomy prophecies OF an endless
irrepressible conflict between tbs
irresistible force and the immov-
able object. The facts are thai
the railroads have not been alert
that generally they have no
studied bus, truck and car com
petition, that they have allowed
their equipment to deterioriate
that they have walled when the!
should have been working. tina
there is no conflict which sensi
BILE people cannot resolve and nj
head-on collision which is un
avoidable. There are location
where rapid transit can be com
bined with vehicular lanes witt
the same right Of way. but no
many. No doubt commuter sub
sides of some kind are newt
able. but they should depend oi
superior rail service after the rel
ative roles of the train, but, ca
and aircraft have been deter
mined by experts concerned onl.
with the truth.
The more alternative highwa,
projects you propose in terms o
widening, new routes, layout
bridges and tunnels, the more de
bate will be encouraged and pro
longed, the more numerous tn
obstacles and the higher the ul
innate cost. On the othe3 hanc
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