Increasing the Efficiency of Passenger Transportation in City Streets

Many plans for the relief of traffic congestion are based on the general theory of providing more roadway area to be used in exactly the same way that the existing street area is used. Cutting through new thoroughfares, widening present roadways, arcading sidewalks, double-decking arterial routes, and placing the electric railways underground are among the proposals made. Enormous expense would attend the execution of any of these plans. While it cannot be denied that substantial benefits would result, it is extremely doubtful whether permanent relief from traffic congestion would be attained. Experience has shown in a number of instances that new streets cut through to relieve overcrowding on older streets soon become congested themselves, without any marked diminution of traffic on the other streets. It seems, therefore, that the problem might well be approached from a different angle. By stimulating the more intensive use of present streets, a far larger volume of traffic could be moved through them without the necessity for huge expenditures on improvements.