TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 November 1928, Page 8

TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

PEDESTRIAN TUNNELS TO' LOS ANGELES'. New York may have its subways, Chicago its overhead systems, but Los Angeles is fast becoming famous for its pedestrian tunnels. To date 41 of these traffic devices have been constructed in various parts of the city, and many more are under construction. For the moist part the tunnels are constructed under boulevards adjacent to schools and serve not only as a convenience to the school children who otherwise would be forced to pick their way through the constantly augmenting stream of traffic but are a boom to the motorist as well who. is thus permitted to maintain maximum speed at these points. ‘ „ „ „ The Automobile Club of Southern California, in co-operation with public authorities, entered vigorously into a campaign for these tunnels some live years ago and the first was constructed as an experiment in 1924. The good results obtained encouraged further building and in 1925 a bond issue of 350,001) dollars was voted to construct a series of tunnels and in July, 1926, the first of the new passageways was completed. The average cost ol these tunnels is 8000 dollars and their length varies from 100 to 300 feet. Through, the work of traffic committees, organised in the schools, the use of the tunnels is practically 100 per cent, by the school children as strict rules are m force iegarding their use by students, and the frown-ups too, are fast adopting them as a convenient and quick means of crossing the congested thoroughfares The location of the tunnels is- determined after a thorough check as to various considerations, these include number of school children crossing at any given intersection, the number ol automobiles and the width of the street. This check is taken in order to insure the tunnels being built where the gicatest good is apparent to the greatest number of children and motorists. The city Of Los Angeles, its school board, and all of the semi-public orfauisations of the city are thoroughly convinced of the, effectiveness and economy of school tunnels Am<) “S other things they eliminate the necessity of having traffic officers stationed at such points and do away entire y with the need of automobiles oi tiucks slowing up at such intersections, lnej are very handy for pedestrians crossing at such local ties and are used >y reli running errands or ■ using the streets before and after school hours. Just as in the case of the separation of steam and electric cjossmgj by building one . under the othei so do these tunnels offer a .solution for the separation of the ever increasing motoi and pedestrian traffic, and it i- s the opinion, of traffic officials that eventually every city of any size ,«» the United States will .adopt this method.