Show Increase In Street Traffic Has Nos Dangerous Effect On Living Conditions In Cities D By the tho Albert RUMel ErskIne Ru- Ru Bureau Bu Bureau reau tor for Strict Street TraffIc Truffle Ro- Ro Ro search University of California Los Angeles Th The rapid increase In street congestion le Is I tending to have an Important and dangerous effect upon livIng condItions condition In the th lar- lar larger larger larer ger urban centers At tho the same am time tim that It has ha tended to bring brine about an abnormal abnor abnor- abnormal abnormal mal decentralization ot of busIness It has tended to concentrate and congest population One On hour Is about the th mail mail- mum time which an IndivIdual can cen spend pend In goIng from his home horn to his work Many fany are ar wining to 1 spend only a traction fraction ot of this time It Is la clear clar that It the th streets trets lire are tree free from congestIon and motor vehIcles and street treet cars cars- earl cal can move over oyer them at a reasonable speed It will be b possible for tor a greater percentage ot of the tho population to live e comparatively far tal ar out In die dis districts dIs- dIs dIstrIcts suitable sullO-bl for tor residential de de- de development MUST LIVE JID CLOSEn CLOSER On the tho other hand where con con- congestion congestion con reduces tho speed p ed ot of ol travel and increases the th length of ot the th trip the th citizens citizen must live In a a smaller miller radius from the cen- cen center center ter ot of th the city A consIderable proportion ot of o the population In every very city gains its Ita livelihood from busIness activIties ties connected with Ith the th central business district professional men salesmen ulmen and office workers must go to each day from their homes to ta their work In or near the center of ot the th city'S city busIness activity Moreover there Is I always a a cen- cen cen of retail establishments and amusement facilities In the I central district which draw thou thou- thousands thousands thousands sands and nd hundreds hundred ot of thousand thousands each day from their homes home Thus the street use In any city cit shows how a great town In-town rush ruh ot of workers and buyers buyer In the th morn morn- mornIng morning 1 Ing hours hour and a a great town out out out town rush In the th afternoon hours Th The distance which individuals will live from their business and amusement facilities depends depend not upon miles mites but upon the th length l ot of time and the th convenience of ot the travel Continuation and Increase In street congestIon will always ten tens to brIng about therefore a ten tendency ten ten- tendency tendency dency toward th the concentration ot of population In the th ad- ad adjacent ad ad jacent to the th center ot of o business activIties This of ot course means the Inevitable replacement of ot sin sin- single single ln-C-l ln gle family dwellings by tenement structures for the poor and apart apart- apartment apartment mint apart ment and hotel districts for tor the themore themore more well do The large titles cIties of or the east have havo teen leen forced to the th expedIent ot of rapid transit as a a a means for tor speedIng up population move move- movements movement ments ment Elevated and subway structures for mass transports transports- transportation tion fr free treo o from street congestIon have extended th the residence range Such an expedient In- In Involves Involves In Involve volve large larr cost and brIngs s com corn complicated problems problem There Ther are arc few tew of oC the smaller or medIum sized cities that cannot postpone rapid transit by by an et- et effective ef handling of ot th the problem ot of street reet congestion |