LONDON TRAFFIC. By GORDON' VEARLY every man thinks he can
do three things, LI namely, run a newspaper, build a fire and guide the Government wisely ; and to this ,perhaps now must be added the further accomplishment of managing intelligently the traffic of Central London.
As far as I am concerned, with only the ca:sual study which the man in the -street gives, I should suggest— if I were asked to perform this difficult task—that first I should obtain a very careful 'survey of all conditions which cause at certain points a block and its irritating delays. Certain streets or corners are extremely busy at times and very slack at others. For example, the Mansion House during several hours of the day is one of the busiest points in London, while in the evening it is comparatively quiet—while Piccadilly Circus and Shaftesbury Avenue are almost impossible to 'pass through with any speed during the -hours associated with the opening of theatres, &c.
A careful survey, however, would make one intelligent- on all these Points. It would then seem wise to forbid during those certain extremely busy hours in those particular locations any horse vehicles, steam lorries, tractors or very heavy, large and slow-moving vehicles, and to forbid in that same district during those busy hours any taxi-driver from canvassing fares by parading near the kerb, &c. He would be required to use near-by cab ranks and would also be permitted only to accept fares from such ranks. This need apply only to those special hours when those immediate districts are over- crowded.
It would also seem wise to forbid in those districts and at those hours any private or public vehicle to park on the roadside. Time would be allowed to drop or pick up passengers, but not to wait longer _than .was absolutely necessary for such purpose. Such vehicles-, if required to wait, could also use the nearest ranks.
It further seems almost necessary to scrutinize the vehicles which shall be permitted.. tooccupy the streets. Heretofore it has seemed to the public that the street - is for the public's use, and no limitation was _thought of or expected ; but there are only so many square feet of surface in the roads of Central London, and there are so many square feet covered each moment by vehicles. Every unnecessary vehicle, therefore, subtracts from the available space and leaves less room for the others. The indiscriminate licensing of omnibuses, which by the terms of the licence are permitted to go hither and thither .always seeking the busiest points, seems to be unfortunate and should certainly be subject to super- vision—a power which I believe to-day does not exist. With the 'absence of unnecessary omnibuses I should think that the number of regularly licensed omnibuses could be very greatly reduced, thus relieving the. streets and giving greater speed to the present 'buses and being certainly a step in the right direction.
. There are in Central London, of course, many very narrow streets leading to and from busy centres, and they are .therefore crowded with traffic. These streets could be scheduled and in many cases made one-way streets only. The one-way road is in a general way an inconvenience, but fr by adopting parallel narrow_ roads making one one way and the other the other, this frightful. traffic. delay could be partially . obviated, it would be worth_ the ,cost and inconvenience for the advantage gained.
- Most _ tram- lines do not enter the centre of London, but are stopped at outlying points. It would_ certainly seem as if the building of trams had ceased to be an enterprise -which could attract eVen County Councils. Those that are already built probably must be used, but it is difficult to see their further development inter- esting anyone. - other' cities;. especially in Amtrica,--r the tram lines when brought into the busiest portions of the city are highly objectionable. _ Then, ,if one could do- as he chose with. the" object only of- producing - the :easiest and least delayed - traffic, - of course the .question-of further bridges aeross the river would have :inuitediate = attention. I should like .to: see the two sides of the-river so united that one would hardly know the difference between one side: .and the other. If the river were floored over, this condition' would very quickly exist.;: but the nearest thing to flooring it over would be frequent bridges: It is true thatsome of the new bridges are not used as :much:as it was anticipated they _would be,.but it is also true that drivers often lollow' the- line which .they have always used without stopping „to think whether it_ is wise :or: not. ' These regulations could correct this, and if the river were very frequently- bridged- traffic could be required to take the nearest bridge to get to its desired destination.
One serious cause of delay in London is the repairs of the streets, and the authorities often act in a manner to please themselves only and 'without- much thought of the public. Whatever streets are to be repaired in Central London should be pushed with the utmost energy, working three shifts if necessary, and completed in the shortest possible time. Furthermore, any work required to be done by the Post Office or other public bodies under the streets should be ready to -be begun the moment the opportunity has made it possible and completed in the least number of hours. In my judgment work of this kind, which so seriously interferes with the public's comfort, should -utilize every kind of labour-. saving- and time-saving machinery which has been proved practicable. Now, these few, .or any other, suggestions could only : be.used as the beginning of-the correction of the trouble. It is not difficult to theorize, but the practical working- out of _the :scheme and the discovering of -errors _in the theory, and how, this or that should be better :done, is a matter of daily, or hourly, watchfulness. In business we work out a plan of action, using our best judgment in the- formation of that plan. -We put it into practice , and 'often discover, before long -that certain elements or portions of the plan are wrong and must be .altered Just so, all plans for correcting the traffic of London should be elastic, to be perhaps accepted and acted on until something better appears or until proved faulty and inoperative.
_ In the above suggestions I recognize that nothing new, original or unique has been offered. -It may be that plenty of heretofore unthought of solutions lie below the surface, which if one digs hard enough for and allows his 'imagination sufficient play can be .discovered. The searching for a. better- or best -way to correct this difficulty should be a delightful undertaking, and, like all other problems which await solving, should intrigue the man as much as the hunting of the slipper. enter- tained the child.
Nothing in this world is being as well done as it can be done, and no plan that one may create, even if very much more experienced on the :subject than-a layman like myself, can be certain of complete; success until it is tried. There is one thing very sure, hOwever, that unless we are all_to -waste a great, deal of precious time in the future, ..eeditin steps must he taken to obyiate the present very-great- delays in-street traffic.,-
Previous page
