TRAFFIC PROBLEM FOR TOKYO

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28896, 16 May 1959, Page 10

TRAFFIC PROBLEM FOR TOKYO

Enormous Task Ahead Of City Administrators [By Air Mail—Reuter] TOKYO. A dense network of rattling tramcars over narrow and bumpy roads, endlessly under repair, and an increase of motor-car registrations by 200 per day faces Tokyo with the possibility of complete traffic paralysis by 1965. The Metropolitan Government is either constructing or planning to build new roads, new subway lines, and underground parking lots. It is admitted, however, that this is far short of solving the worsening traffic jam in the city. In some parts of the downtown area, it already is faster to travel on foot. During rush hours the speed limit of .32 kilometres (about 20 miles) an hour can seldom be attained by most vehicle drivers.

At the busiest intersection of Tokyo 130,050 motor vehicles were counted during 12 hours from seven o’clock in the morning. Tokyo proportionally has more taxies than in any other city m the world. In Tokyo, one taxi cab caters to 560 persons, compared with 675 persons in New York, 950 person in Paris, 917 persons in Chicago, and 1517 persons in London. Traffic accidents in Tokyo are seven to nine times as many as in New York. An average of 2.5 persons died and 119 persons suffered injuries in traffic accidents every day during last year. The Metropolitan Police Board said in 1958 that there were 109,751 traffic accidents in which 930 persons were killed and 43,450 others injured. The death toll represented an increase of 10 per cent, over the previous year and the number of the injured increased by 14 per cent, over 1957. The board said 82.8 per cent, of the accidents were caused by fourwheeled vehicles and the rest by motor bicycles, bicycles, pedestrians and tram cars. At present there are 403,023 motor vehicles in Tokyo, the number is three times as many as in 1952. They include 155,000 trucks, 5000 buses, 83,000 passenger cars, 10,000 passenger cars belonging to members of the United States security forces, 6000 special motorcars including fire engines, 6000 two-wheeled motor-vehicles and 139,000 three-wheeled and other light-weight motor-vehicles. Of the total passenger cars, 67.500 are privately owned, 3000 belong to Government offices, and 12.500 are taxi cabs. The increase in the number of taxi cabs h<is been prohibited since October. 1955. at that time .private passenger cars totalled only about 28,000.

There are other factors which increase traffic congestion in the city. Of 580 square kilometres (224 square miles) covering Tokyo’s 23 wards, only 55 square kilometres (21 square miles) represent roads, only 18 per cent, of the roads are paved and 80 per cent, need repair. Roads are incessantly being dug up and rebuilt following new work for water pipes or gas pipes. A Tokyo government official said the life of road had been shortened by half because of the increasing number of motor vehicles—seven times as many as the number recorded at the end of the war. He said the period had originally been estimated at 15 to 20 years for highways, three to five years for other paved roads, and one year for gravel roads. The official also said that nearly half of the 5000 workers now engaged in road repair work were otherwise unemployed amateur day labourers. The Metropolitan Government had demanded 32.200 million yen (£32,200,000 sterling) for road repair during the fiscal year starting April, 1959, but only 1900 million yen (£1,900,000 sterling) had been allocated. Adding ward offices’ appropriations, the total sum for road repairs during the year amounted to only 4000 million yen (£4,000,000 sterling). Tramcar tracks occupy more than one-third of the roads and a network of tramcars covers almost all of downtown Tokyo. Tokyo’s tramcars now carry about 1,700.000 persons daily. Some officials forsee that tramcars will disappear at least in the downtown area in 10 to 20 years, to be replaced by a subway network. Others say the number of those who use tramcars is too big to be absorbed by subways and buses. In addition, they say,

replacement of 7000 employees for the tramcars must be taken into consideration. At present Tokyo has two subway lines covering 30 kilometres (about 18 miles) carrying 580.000 persons daily. These are to be increased to five main lines and two branch lines over a total of 106.8 kilometres (about 66 miles) by 1970/75. Two underground parking lots, one capable of taking 470 cars and the other 260 cars, are under construction by the Metropolitan Government. Nine other underground parking lots capable of parking 3700 cars are expected to be constructed by 1965. The Metropolitan Government is plapning to construct by 1965 eight elevated roads connecting Tokyo’s main shopping centres. The rapid transit roads will be 16 metres (about 50 feet) wide.