Show Family Weekly ' and most highly developed freeway system of any ' area in the country Yet laat November when a strike of bus and trolley mechanics turned 400000 additional motorists loose a number smaller than tbe projected population growth in toe next five years—the system collapsed "The traffic jam was V so monstrous” said an observer “that if one more f: car had arrived are would have had to pave over autos and start all over again” The National Research Council points out that I the highway problem is not just a matter of private II automobiles but affects all means of transportation Urban bus service is mushrooming while com- muting Ml lines are dying bn their steel vines i’’ freight carrying is shifting from boxcai to sem- itrailer and truck i What does the Council suggest? Here are sane major recommendations: —Use pipelines and belt conveyors to bulk move i freight - —Automatic and crewlesa trains and subways —Developing to a practical reality the high- ' f" speed monorail train controlled —Automatically highway vehicles the-stalle- f 1 r believe will carry mobile America for yean to This corner call for a leaves plenty of room for four traffic lanes in each direction tbe optimum number for safety and speed These lanes can handle’ 1£00 vehicles an hour compared with leas than 400 on the old ie roads records bear out the efficiency of our pies-Safety ent system There has been a reduction in accidents on these highways along with de- creased travel time and easier driving conditions Police records indicate that 10 lives will be saved annually for each 100 miles of superhighway in — a service— which means 1000 motorists will date with death this year alone The new highways have been designed to build community business too— in both big and small communities Unlike some older toll roads the interstate system is not derignad to go straight from one major city to another Twtfd the rout- ings serve as npny cities as possible — certainly each one with a population of 100000 or more Experience has shown that an area’s economy grows in direct proportion to its accessibility This ide ' - 5 mi menace would automatically come in anyway Tbe device could warn of countleaa highway dangers that lay ahead whether of temporary or permanent nature Coat would be relatively nominal for both car earner and highway department More forward-lookin- g is research into simplified car controls which lead in turn to a car that could be controlled automatically from' periodically right-of-w- ay ' taro-hu- ent j February spaced centers much as military missOesare now We 'already have prototype vehicles that can be driven easily without benefit of steering wheel brake or gas pedal The driver uses only a single ' airplane-lik- e control Forward pressure accelerates the car pulling back the control brakes’ it and movement to either side steers it Test personnel say that 15 minutes’ experience makes an expert of the average driver The control however is still complicated and bulky Other devices in the prototype stage include a signal wire imbedded on either aide of a highway that would actuate a light or’ busier in the car to warn you if you strayed off course and radar- actuated braking devices that would take over if you approached an obstruction One trouble with ’ ’ - l ’ r taxpayer hasspent millions for a dream — motoring on roads that offer " comfort instead he may have invested in a traffic nightmare —Automobiles that ride on a cushion of air over both paved and unpaved roads rough terrain and ' water These devices already exist but actual produc- J tion is slowed by staggering financial problems re-' sistance to automation and the feet that transportation policies at the Federal level are divided among 30 agencies citizens won’t benefit Obviously highway-usin- g much in toe next decade or so from any of these “egghead" proposals And by then highways being built today will handle a third again as many cars and trucks as the 72 million now in use! Among the authorities who believe we are headed in the right direction in our highwaybuilding program is John C: Mackie Michigan highway commissioner Mackie has a warehouseful of statistics and an electronic computer to sort them out He concludes “The highways we are building now for toe National Interstate Highway System will never j be obsolete and we have projected traffic volume Into the 1980s based on a comprehensive studyof land-upatterns and population growth” These highways which Mackie and other experts se is the first consideration of an industry looking for a new home or expansion As industry develops along the highway new population is attracted These people become customers for housing developments and with that come the shopping and recreational carters Over a period of time relatively small cities should be stimulated in growth by the service provided by superhighways It’s hard to deny that our current highway program’ is geared for the future Yet it would be unfair not to consider what are bound to be problems someday The time eventually will cone when we probably will have to do more than just build highways we may have to automate them for freer flow of traffic and safety How? The simplest device available now but as yet radio warning device unused is a Haven’t you sometimes passed a truck on a freeway just as it obscured the exit sign you were looking for? This gadget is for you! Transmitters located along the roadside would broadcast a taped message receivable on a slightly altered car radio If your radio was on the message would be superimposed over the regular broadcast regardless of station If it were turned off the low-freque- the latter is that so far when approaching a curve it cannot distinguish between a harmless stationary metallic obstruction on the side of the road and a stalled car actually on the highway State highway officials are watching toe progress of these devices but they are understandably reluctant at this stage to commit public funds to experimentation Even the practical radio warning device still requires an expenditure by each car owner something in the view of tome officials that should not be forced Therefore they are unwilling to equip new highways with the necessary imbedded wiring Actually most officials feel our present course in highway construction is adequate except in and around major cities In these cases they fed the answer is more highways with states and cities bearing a greater share in laying for the limited-accemileage used mostly by local taxpayers Next tone you find yourself wheeling down one of our superhighways play the role of "expert” yourself More than likdy’youH agree that our highway system wont be out of date for a long time Meanwhfle'1ike any expert you’ll find yourself thinking of ways to improve it ss family Waciciy ftbrawy S INI ' ' - |