Chapter XIII: Aids and Attractions to Traffic and Travel (1)

It is a well-recognized fact that pleasure riding constitutes by far the greater part of automobile riding. With ten million pleasure cars and two million trucks that is obvious, notwithstanding every pleasure car is used more or less for business.

Assuming that the pleasure cars average 3000 miles per year each, a conservative estimate, and that two-thirds of this is purely for pleasure,[222] and that the average number of passengers is 2¹⁄₂, there results the almost inconceivable number of fifty billion passenger miles. If one person did all that traveling he would have to circle the earth two million times, or about one circuit every quarter of a minute. Each of the hundred million people in the United States, therefore, joy rides annually to the extent of 500 miles, at an expense of about $50, one-fourth of which is for gasoline and oil. Or, stating it another way the expense of this pleasure, recreation, outing, release from business cares, is about $1 per week per person.[223] This hardly seems to be too much for the returns received, but if it is it cannot be helped. The automobile is here. It is here to stay. It is going to be used more and more. And economy is not the most stimulating element toward its use. Like the telephone, it is rapidly being emancipated from the luxury class and is establishing itself among the necessaries.

This being true, the road must not only be made usable in an economic sense but must also cater to the comfort and pleasure of the user. “Make business a pleasure and pleasure is business.” This means new developments not only in the road construction, surfacing, maintenance, but in the many other things that always follow improvements. The road was made smooth and hard and level because larger loads at less expense could be hauled; they were widened and the curves flattened that there might be more speed, thus cutting down the cost of transportation. All these things came along as a matter of economy, but at the same time they brought increased safety and much pleasure to the traveler. Now the beautification of the highway, discussed in the last chapter, while primarily for pleasure, has been found to increase the use of the road and bring money in new ways to the pockets of many. The beautiful and the scenic are truly economic assets of great worth. California will realize many times over from the tourist traffic alone the cost of her wonderful roads. The famous Columbia River Highway will return to Oregon again and again its cost through tourists and other pleasure riders attracted to it as bees to sweets by the lure of its scenic vistas. Standing upon the streets of my home city it is an unusual day if I do not see license tags from a half dozen states within a few minutes, sometimes ranging from coast to coast and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf.

Think what it means to a community to have all these people pass through it. If they have good roads to travel upon, few hardships and a hospitable treatment along the way, they are bound to feel kindly toward the community, speak well of it when they go home. This, unintentionally perhaps, suggests to others to travel over the same roads, and some, no doubt, will return for the purpose of taking up their abode in a community so hospitable and up to date in its activities. If there are factories that make articles for sale the traveler having seen their signs and buildings as he passes by feels a kindly interest in them ever after. The manufactories, the stores, wholesale and retail, the farms, and all others will directly or indirectly benefit from the travel and interchange of social courtesies brought about by it.

The direct sale of goods and supplies, the sums spent at garages and hotels constitute a very small part of the benefits received from those who use the roads, yet it is by no means negligible, for “many mickles make a muckle.” It may be sordid to think of the money brought in by these persons, and taken out in almost equal amounts by our own travelers, but the money certainly is put into circulation and flows from those who have more to those who have less, balancing, as the rains do the rivers, the backward flow through various channels from those who have less to those who have more. If the transportation of commodities and goods from market to market over the country can be likened to the life blood of the human body, then the passage of citizens from place to place is like the lymphatic circulation repairing wastes due to ambition, greed, and ignorance.

=Ranking and Parking.=--Frequently the things which will attract the motorist are those which also prevent accidents, which cause vehicles to interfere with each other as little as possible, relieve congestion, which make it easier for the stranger to find his way, as well as make it more pleasant and more comfortable for passenger and driver. All road regulations might be considered under the heading of conveniences and comforts, for they all tend to make traveling more safe and pleasant. Of arrangements of this character the first to be discussed will be ranking and parking.

Ranking is defined by the “General Traffic Regulations of the Council of National Defense, U. S. A.” as “standing vehicles behind one another parallel with the curb,” and parking as “standing vehicles along side one another at an angle to curb.”[224]

Notwithstanding these definitions by common usage the word “parking” is made to include any method whatsoever of “standing automobiles.” Just as the generic term “man” includes both “man” and “woman” so the term “parking” includes both “parking” and “ranking,” and the verb “park” both “park” and “rank.” Usage makes this so whether it be scientific or not.

People who come to the city or have business in the city must have some place to stand their vehicles. The question of where this shall be is becoming one of great importance, as the number of vehicles is constantly increasing and the parking space does not increase correspondingly. A number of cities are making local regulations limiting the time of parking in certain localities. Such limitations seem just, for the reason that near large office buildings, for instance, all available space is appropriated by cars parked early in the day which remain there until their owners, the occupants of the offices, are ready to go home at evening. Outsiders and others wishing to park near places where they desire to do business find it impossible to do so. As a result they either walk back several blocks or make their purchase where they can find parking space. The writer has frequently done the latter when he really wanted to patronize the store near which he could not park. The stores at such places actually lose considerable trade that they are entitled to and for which they pay large rent or other overhead. Such practice may in the long run help the little store farther out and cause a corresponding decrease in property and rental prices.

1 2

VEHICLES RANKED AT CURB

VEHICLES RANKED IN CENTER

VEHICLES RANKED NEXT TO CAR TRACKS]

VEHICLES PARKED AT CURB

VEHICLES PARKED AT CENTER

VEHICLES PARKED NEXT TO CAR TRACKS

AFTER END]

=Parking Spaces a Convenience to Motorists.=--The figures above show several methods for parking. Spaces in front of fire hydrants and certain building entrances, at crossings, and street car stops are usually marked with no-parking signs and the curb painted a distinctive color. There may be other places where general parking and unlimited time may be allowed. If these spaces happen to be paved it would be well to have the parking stalls marked, as more machines will park when this is done. Such general parking places may be alongside public parks, vacant lots, in wide streets, and elsewhere where parking will not interfere with the flow of traffic. Special and limited parking spaces, such as those set aside for buses, cabs, and trucks, or those on which the parking is limited as to time should be marked by the city with a standard sign.

The angle of parking depends upon the width of street and other local conditions. On narrow streets it may have to be zero degrees, that is, ranking; on others 30°, 45°, 60° or 90°. Since it is best to have machines head in, the 90° angle is difficult unless there is ample turning space. Likewise in backing out the same difficulty occurs.

The following widths are suggested[225] for parking spaces if in the middle of the street, and parking is at an angle of:

90°, the space should be at least 15 feet wide
45°, 15
37¹⁄₂°, 14
30°, 13

When the parking space is next to the curb the widths can be reduced 1 foot each. For any angle of stalls between 90° and 45° the parking space width must be greater than 15 feet; for 60° about 16 feet. There are streets where this could be allowed and more machines accommodated than at 45°. Ranking spaces should be marked off 9 feet wide. Some cities have special rules that ranked cars shall stand 6 feet apart to allow any one to get out. The stalls, whether the parking is to be on one side, both sides, or in the middle, should be slanted toward the approach of traffic.

There is an advantage to parking in the center of the street in that other vehicles may drive up to the sidewalk for loading or unloading passengers. It is objected to, however, on the theory that more space is required for mid-street parking. Where possible parking spaces should be paved with hard surfaces, like concrete or brick. Vehicles parked upon asphalt for a considerable time sink in, and as there is no ironing out by traffic of these depressions the pavement soon becomes rough, retains rain and sprinkling water and rots.

An asphalt strip for driving and a concrete strip for parking is ideal, for this separates distinctly by color the two spaces. On fairgrounds and picnic grounds where many cars are to be taken care of two rows of parked cars are headed together, then a lane and two more rows, another, lane, etc. Parking should usually be at 90° to the lane.

=One Way and Rotary Traffic.=--In the crowded cities it has been found necessary to confine traffic to one direction in some of the streets. All streets not wide enough for two vehicles must of course have one-way traffic. Streets a little wider may wish to park or rank cars along one side and have one-way traffic on the other. With parallel streets near together, wide streets even, may be used advantageously as one-way streets with two or more lines of vehicles.

For the convenience of the public clear and distinct signs should be placed at every entrance to a one-way street. Of these more will be said further on.

At intersections there are two methods of procedure: The block and the rotary. The block requires a traffic officer who stops for a short time the traffic in one direction to allow the other to pass, then in the other. Even the short spaces of time between his whistle blasts are productive of much congestion. To alleviate this condition a movement about the center of the intersection in one direction has been devised. On the intersection of streets where there are small parks, monuments or safety zones the rotary method is most successful. The movement around is such as to leave the center of the intersection, the park or monument, on the left, thus avoiding all left-hand turns. In establishing one-way streets attempts are usually made to avoid left-hand turns whenever possible. The figures on pp. 424 and 426 show sketch plans for rotary service. When there are street-car tracks or other local obstructions slight changes may have to be made. Note only two full passing places for vehicles, _A_, and as only a part of the traffic will want to cross congestion and danger are largely eliminated. There may be one, two, or more lines of traffic at _B_; depending on the width of the street. This scheme, according to Eno, is so practical that after it was put into use in New York in 1908, it was adopted the same year at Boston, by Paris in 1909, by Buenos Aires in 1910, and now is in use in many cities throughout the world.

=Taking Care of Opera House Traffic.=--Special arrangement must be made in large cities in front of opera houses and other places where there are large gatherings.[226] A most difficult problem occurs in New York city between 38th and 41st streets, where several large theaters, opera houses, and halls are located. Mr. Eno suggests that a numbered check be given to the owner of each vehicle with a duplicate to the driver on which are printed directions for lining up to be followed by the driver. As each vehicle comes along the line the number is flashed on a board continuously. Or, a roller blackboard could be used and as each number is rolled out of sight at the top a new number is written in at the bottom. As there might be several lines, at least one for each entrance, there would be several boards and the owner’s ticket would direct which one he is to watch.

=Public Garages.=--As it was found necessary to go up into the air in large cities to accommodate the demands for room for offices, stores, and other businesses, so now some cities are preparing to build public garages of the sky-scraper type for its automobiles. If press items are correct Chicago is about to make a trial of the sky-scraping garage near the heart of the retail district for the accommodation of automobilists who wish to drive to business, leaving the streets where they now park their cars free for transient motor cars.

There is nothing particularly new in a sky-scraper garage. They have been used for private and for hire purposes for some time. The novelty lies in a municipality considering itself obligated to furnish parking places for automobiles. But why not? The public provides, now, roads for them to travel upon, and parking places upon the ground level. If extension to this space is made by piling one parking place on top of another instead of one beside another, what is the difference? It is presumed that a nominal fee would be charged and that outside parking places would be limited in time of occupation by any particular car.

The distinguishing feature of several-story garages is the manner in which the cars are taken to the upper floors--whether by elevator propelled from some outside source or whether they are driven up inclined planes by their own power. The press notice regarding the Chicago scheme indicates the car will be driven up to its stall in any one of the ten stories, and when ready to go home the driver will ascend to his car and drive it down the exit ramp and go on his way. It will be an interesting experiment. If it succeeds central garages will be built in even the smaller cities.

The elevator garages are quite common. The car is driven onto an elevator large enough to handle it and taken to any story desired, then driven off to its stall. A reverse operation brings it back down. The elevator will probably be run by electric power. The present cost of installing a bus elevator[227] is practically as follows: First cost, $7500; repairs and depreciation, per annum, $500; cost of current, $750; interest on investment at 6 per cent, $450; assuming one operator, salary $1200. Total yearly charge $2900. These figures are claimed to be very conservative, as some run as high as $5000. The possibility of a break of the moving machinery tying up the rolling stock will make a second elevator imperative, the annual charges would be, assuming no extra man to be required, $1700; making altogether an annual charge for elevators of $4600, and the total cost of the installment, $15,000.

On the other hand it is claimed that when the ramps are constructed with the building the extra cost is slight, being little more than that of the floors which would be necessary to cover their spaces were they not put in. After being put in they are claimed to be superior because there are no moving parts to break down, there is no maintenance expense, no salaried operators, and they provide quicker service, as several machines may be run up or down in the same time it would take to transport one on an elevator.

The ramps are said to take up more space than the elevators, but the claim is made that by dividing the garage into two parts and having the floors in one part come approximately half way between those in the other part, much shorter ramps may be used, and the space taken up is not so very much greater than would be required for elevators. The ramps are made about 16 feet wide, and the grade approximately 15 per cent.

=Terminal Stations.=--For the purpose of accommodating patrons bus and express terminal stations are being installed. So far these have been established and financed by private companies. Where several bus lines or express lines radiate from a city a union depot may be expected not only to pay, but greatly to convenience the public. Small hotels and out-of-the-way places are ordinarily used when there is no central station. It is difficult to keep these in mind, and as they use the telephones of the hotels, restaurants, shops, etc., that they occupy for headquarters it is difficult for everybody to remember where they are located and find them when needed. Coöperation between the hotel employees and the bus lines for the giving of patrons information relative to schedules, fares, rates, etc., is not always satisfactory.

The organization of a stock company with bus lines, express lines, and merchants as stockholders for the purpose of building and operating a terminal depot may be formed. It will be necessary that the merchants be brought to see the financial returns that will come to them from the passengers which will be brought to the city every forenoon, allowed time to shop and return home in the afternoon; and that the number of passengers will be increased if convenient and accommodating terminal facilities are at hand.

Experience at Omaha shows that a large percentage, 85, of the passengers carried by the buses are residents along the routes and not commercial travelers, and are therefore potential customers. Many of these people when making their purchases ask that the purchased articles be delivered to the central depot in time to meet a particular bus. The purchaser is given a check upon the surrender of which he receives his package at the depot. Of course the more central the location of the depot may be the better the accommodation to the passengers. On the other hand the rent of the station may and probably will increase as it is brought nearer to the center of the retail district. Anyway it should be within walking distance of the principal retail stores.

The main costs of such a station will be rent, light, heat, water, taxes, insurance, upkeep, and the personal service of an agent and janitor. At Omaha seven bus lines and eighteen merchants entered into an arrangement whereby the merchants were to guarantee the rent while the bus operators were to furnish, maintain, and operate the terminal. The rent was $200 per month. For current expenses each member pays $2 a month dues and a service charge of $15 a month in advance for each scheduled in-and-out daily trip. Thus the Omaha-Weeping Water line with one in-and-out bus would pay about 50 cents a day; Omaha-Lincoln line with two buses each way, $1 a day; and the Omaha-Fremont line with four buses in-and-out every day, $2. A small additional income is received from a cigar, candy, and miscellaneous sales concession, it being 12¹⁄₂ per cent of the gross sales less $7 a week which the association pays toward the salary of the clerk who acts as their information and ticket agent. A limited free checking service is maintained for the accommodation of passengers and shoppers. A colored porter presides over a shoe-shine stand and calls the departure of buses and assists the passengers with their baggage. He also serves as janitor. Special courtesy to patrons is maintained as a means of increasing business. The depot has 36x80 feet space and is divided into a general waiting room and office, a ladies’ rest-room, a smoking room, and space for baggage.

Here is a joint terminal for a few bus lines running out of one of the smaller large cities of the country into an agricultural community with unpaved but excellent earth roads. The operators feel that even though small it has proven its worth, as they have a definite business center where patrons can get information about schedules and buses and find comfort while waiting. It also makes for an _esprit de corps_ among the several bus companies which very frequently loan buses to each other in cases of emergency. The compensation in such cases is 15 cents per mile if the borrower furnishes gasoline, oil and driver, or 22 cents a mile if these are furnished by the owner. In case one line does any work for another the basis of pay is cost plus 10 per cent.

It is considered that the bus lines are themselves a convenience to the public as their schedules and routes are planned to give service where the railroads do not. For example, a resident of Wahoo wishing to go to Omaha by train leaves at 11:15 A.M., there being only one train a day, arrives at Omaha at 1:15 P.M.; but must wait until the next day to return, as the only train leaves Omaha at 12:41 P.M.; arriving at Wahoo at 2:31 P.M. The citizen has, therefore, spent practically two days to make the trip. By bus he can make the round trip the same day--leave Wahoo 9:10 A.M.; arrive Omaha 11:30 A.M.; leave Omaha 2:00 P.M. and arrive back home at 4:20 P.M.; or he can have still more time in the city by leaving at 5:10 and arriving home at 7:30 P.M.

A number of instances like the above could be cited. On the contrary one of the bus lines runs between Omaha and Lincoln, passing through the same towns that are already well served by several trains per day. The time of making the trip from Omaha to Lincoln by bus is about one hour longer than by train. There seems little use for such a bus line except to pick up passengers between train stations.

Much more elaborate terminal stations have been established in other cities, for example Indianapolis, Indiana, and Portland, Oregon. A Minneapolis terminal to accommodate 100 buses a day has been opened and the company expects ultimately to spend $100,000 to create an adequate terminal.

At Poughkeepsie, New York, a city of 40,000 people, the Chamber of Commerce learning that an ordinance had been introduced in the Common Council prohibiting the parking of motor buses on the streets, evolved the idea of a central waiting room for the convenience of all passengers from the rural districts, the establishment of a definite bus schedule and the installation of a checking department.[228] After a year’s operation the merchants were extremely well pleased with results. The bus drivers were invited to use the accommodations provided at the entire expense of the merchants, of a little less than $1500 a year. Rental is at the rate of $50 and janitor service $12 a month. The room is steam heated and made as comfortable and cozy as possible, so that women and children find it a pleasure to wait there. From 150 to 300 persons use the bus terminal daily. The bus drivers have formed an association and taken over the care of the building, as they believe this one of the best things ever put forward for the development of their own business.

As an example of how it works this is given:

A lady in Red Hook desires one of the Poughkeepsie merchants to
send her certain goods, she simply telephones her order to the
Poughkeepsie merchant, who then consults his time table regarding
buses operating in that direction. He next selects the merchandise;
makes up his package and his boy takes it to the motor bus terminal,
where the attendant in charge receipts for the package. This bundle
is then put by the attendant in the proper bin and the right driver
takes it just previous to leaving the station. The driver delivers
the package the same as the parcel post man would, with promptness
and dispatch. No charge is made by the attendant for taking the
package but a charge of 10 to 50 cents is put on the parcel by the
bus driver, which he collects from the recipient of the package, or
it is prepaid as the merchant prefers.

It is said there has been no loss by theft. The drivers each carry a key to the Bus Terminal Station which is opened by the first driver to arrive about 6:30 A.M. and closed by the last to leave about 11:00 o’clock at night.

This is not a freight-trucking depot, only packages being handled. From the customers which the buses have brought it is estimated the trade in the first year was over a half million dollars, a large part of which is partly traceable to the courtesy and convenience rendered to out-of-town patrons by the establishment of the depot.

=Gas, Air, and Water Stations.=--Another business of great importance that has followed the increased use of motor cars is that of the sale of gasoline and oil. Of course there are the large manufacturing and wholesale companies; of those it is not the intention here to speak, but of the retailer who is endeavoring to accommodate the motoring public.

There is no city of any size now but what is supplied with one or more filling stations. Much money is being spent on the stations to make them convenient and attractive to the motorist. The modern filling station consists of the necessary storage tanks, usually placed under ground, for gasoline and oil, and the pumps for measuring and forcing the “gas” into the tank of the motor, with other pumps or facilities for care of oil. Then there is the building containing an office, a storeroom for oil and supplies, rest and toilet rooms for women, and possibly also for men. There is usually a marquise extending out over the place where automobiles stop for filling, to keep off rain and sun from the pumps and also from driver or passenger in case he or they desire to get out of the car for any purpose. Water and air are available at these stations and are looked after by attendants if desired. There are also pits where crank cases may be rapidly drained and refilled. While these accommodations are for the purpose of attracting trade, the very fact that they do, shows them to be real conveniences.

Of course, there are also those things which the automobile dealer calls “service.” That is places where may be purchased and repaired broken parts, where batteries may be filled with distilled water, and so on. Usually water, either fresh or distilled, is free, but in some places in the “deserts” out West it has to be hauled miles and a cost charge is made.

=Named and Numbered Roads.=--For a number of years road enthusiasts, automobile clubs, and chambers of commerce have been selecting and marking main lines of road across the country or through their particular cities. Some of these roads such as the Lincoln Highway, the Santa Fé and the Yellowstone Trails extend across the continent from coast to coast; or north to south as the Dixie, the Jefferson, and the Jackson Highway. There are very many of these volunteer organizations; they attempt to secure the improvement of highways, ranging in length from transcontinental routes to short county lines, by bringing influence to bear on road officials and creating in the minds of the public generally an interest for better roads. Some states like Iowa and Nebraska passed laws enabling an association promoting any route to register it together with the marker that is to be used, providing penalties for injuring or defacing any sign board, and making it unlawful for others to use the name or marker design on any other road. It is said over a hundred routes were marked in Iowa, fifty in Illinois, and other states somewhat proportionately.

Opposition has been offered on the theory that it is the State’s business to mark and maintain signs along roads. It has been suggested that since the General Government has selected a system of national roads and since these must be by law continuous, that they be numbered continuously by the same number. For example the transcontinental road farthest north should be numbered 1, the next continental road, 3, the next, 5, and so on. That the roads running north and south beginning on the east be numbered with even numbers. Several of the New England states have already agreed to a common number or name for roads running through them. The point is that when a road has been marked a tourist may travel clear across the continent on the same number and would not have to look up a new number or name when he crossed a state line. Also when once made public a map of the roads would be good next year or the year after, and the traveler need not fear its having been changed. It might be possible that places would be located by certain roads as they were once by rivers. In the practical work of drafting, numbers are more easily placed on the map than are names.

ROAD
CLOSED

BY ORDER OF--

CLIFFORD OLDER, CHIEF HIGHWAY ENGINEER
VIOLATORS SUBJECT TO ARREST
PENALTY: FINE, IMPRISONMENT OR BOTH
OPEN ONLY TO RESIDENT AND CONTRACTOR’S TRAFFIC
FOLLOW MARKED DETOUR

Engineer in Charge Will Indicate Exact Routing of Detour Giving
Mileage and Direction

Fig. 1. Standard Warning Sign for Barricades.

SLOW
BARRICADE -- 400FT

Fig. 3.--Standard Detour Sign as Furnished by Department. The Engineer in Charge Prints on the Sign the Route Number, Name of Trail, its Emblem if the Road has a Name and Emblem, the Next Town and County Seat or Main City On the Road.

DETOUR FOR ROUTE

Fig. 4.--Map Showing Position of Barricade and Detour Signs.

WARNING AND DIRECTION SIGNS USED IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS]

=Marks, Signs and Guides.=--Whether or not the Government will take over the numbering of through roads the states and volunteer associations will no doubt continue marking. The marks are very comforting to a person traveling on an unknown road, and few there are who do not at sometime travel unknown paths. Not only does it keep him going along the right way but signs giving mileage to the next town are always watched for anxiously.

One of the most common and most effective methods of marking a road is to paint a band of distinguishing color around the telephone poles along the way. In addition to the color band a letter or insignia may be used. The Lincoln Highway uses a red strip at the top and bottom of the white band and a blue L. The Detroit, Lincoln, Denver route uses black strips at the top and bottom of the white band and black monogram made up of the letters D. L. D. The state of Nebraska erects markers showing the number of the road in its state system and the number of the mile on the road. This is partly for the convenience of travelers and partly to assist in systematic filing of records in the office. In case it is necessary to make a special report the patrolman can give the location almost exactly, for example, “Road 14, mile 32, north quarter, washout,” or more simply, “14, 32, N Q, washout.” This is very definite. The state of Wisconsin uses a triangle as an insignia in which is placed the legend “State Trunk Highway,” the number of the highway and the abbreviation Wis.

Several of the states have adopted the method of setting quite large signs alongside the roadway and forbid the placing of advertising signs, even though they give road information, or signs by local volunteer associations. This would seem to be going a little too far for volunteer associations have done much for better road construction in this country as well as to give publicity to the advantages of traveling over the particular road in which they are interested. The influences which they have been able to bring upon local road officers by various means has had a wonderful effect in keeping in good condition the marked road and by emulation other roads joining with it. The most of these associations have contented themselves with marking a route from one terminal to another. They have not asked for a special kind of surfacing. They have aided by advice and perhaps occasionally assisted to put in a sample mile of good road. For example the Lincoln Highway is at the present time interesting itself in financing and constructing an “ideal section” of road in Indiana. (See Chapter XII, p. 413.) On the whole it is the belief of the writer that the good done by these associations inures to the great benefit of the general public and until a comprehensive plan can be agreed upon by all the states they should be allowed to continue their work.

=Distance and Direction Signs.=--Direction signs are such as point out the direction which a traveler must take to keep on a particular route. Distance signs also give information as to distances from the sign to particular places. These two classes are often combined. In addition to these there are warning and detour signs which may also be direction signs.

Mile posts are not new. It was the custom to plant them along the old Roman roads. It has already been mentioned that board markers are frequently placed along the state numbered highways. It would be better to have well-designed cut stones or concrete posts set at even miles, and, perhaps, also at ¹⁄₂ or ¹⁄₄ mile points as well. The post should bear the number or insignia of the highway and the mile number, measured from some particular terminal. Wisconsin uses a triangle as an insignia; other states use an outline map of the state, which is usually not so simple and requires larger sign boards and hence greater expense, and is not so symmetrical and neat looking. The abbreviation of the state name is sufficient. This is to be placed on the side facing the road. It has been suggested that on the side toward the approaching traveler may be placed the name of the next village, town or city in that direction with the distance in miles. On the other side visible after passing would appear the name of the last village passed. The only difficulty with this scheme would be the size of the post required. To get the name on in readable letters would require a post 16 to 24 inches square. So large a post would run the cost up materially.

A hollow circular post with a cap cast on its top could be made of cement.

Iron signs have been successfully used. The Automobile Club of Minneapolis used a malleable cast-iron form 30 inches long, ⁵⁄₈ inch thick, and 3 inches wide. The letters are 2 inches high and the letters and a half-inch border are raised about ¹⁄₈ of an inch. The sign is bolted to a 2¹⁄₂ inch galvanized-iron pipe set in concrete. The sign is galvanized, the background painted white and the raised border and letters finished in black. The cost was approximately $7 per sign.

Steel signs with letters spot welded to them are on the market.

Concrete posts with board signs are common and if occasionally repainted make a durable comparatively cheap sign.

One of the chief objections to the advertising signs placed along some highways is that the information relative to the highway occupies a very small portion of the space and is not easily read while the advertisement stands out very prominently. If the road authorities put the signs up at public expense they could be much smaller and would desecrate the landscape correspondingly less.

=Uniformity of Signs.=--It would be well if simple standards could be adopted for the entire United States, or at least for each state, and that all signs be set with uniformity. If placed consistently at the same distance and height from the roadway the eye of the traveler will naturally seek them and they will be more easily read. Evans and Batchelder[229] recommend that double-distance board signs be 36 inches long by 17 inches deep when they carry three rows of names and a fourth row for the authority responsible for the sign. If the fourth row is not on the sign 15 inches deep will be sufficient. They recommend that the size of the plain block letters be graduated according to the importance of the places mentioned. The top line for the most important places 4-inch letters; the second row, less important, 3-inch letters, and the third, least important, 2-inch letters. Single direction signs to be 20 inches long and the same depth. All signs on posts are recommended to be placed an average height of 6 feet above the roadway, on houses 9 feet. If the double direction names are placed below each other the board will not need to be so long.

=Letters and Colors.=--The letters should be clear and distinct; the style known as block letter is good. The colors should be highly contrasting. Black and white is as good as any; however, Eno[230] thinks that black with yellow and red with white are the best combinations; yellow on black being better than black on yellow. Eno would classify signs as:

Primary, those for warning and directing moving vehicles, vivid
yellow letters, arrows or graphics, on a black background.

Secondary, those for stationary vehicles, designating public
parking spaces, cabstands, car and bus stops, etc., black on yellow
background.

Tertiary, those for the control of pedestrians, designating
crosswalks, safety zones, etc., red on white background.

=Warning Signs.=--The name indicates their purpose, that they are intended to warn against danger or to indicate that extra precautionary measures should be exercised. They give notice of sharp turns, bad bridges and culverts, railroad crossings, cross-roads, and so on. Frequently the word “danger” is printed followed by a descriptive word indicating the kind of danger; for example, “Danger--sharp curve,” “Danger--bad bridge,” “Danger--railroad crossing.” Or there are used such words as “Slow” or more simply “Slo,” with a graphic or descriptive word following, as, “Slow--school,” “Slo--drawbridge.”

The International Road Congress suggested a standard graphical sign, 24 by 16 inches, with white symbols on a black background. Some American roads use a modification of these, p. 440.

=Map Signs.=--There seems to be a tendency toward map signs and the necessary large boards which they entail. It is the opinion of the writer that it would be better except for exceptional places to keep to as small a marker as can be seen readily. The sizes recommended by the International Road Congress are plenty large enough and probably could be decreased without impairing their utility. An ordinary sign is itself an unsightly thing, and after the campaigns that have been made against the advertising bill boards it seems hardly consistent for the state to put up almost equally unsightly disfigurements of the landscape.

In Maryland the direction signs between towns are 30 inches wide by 20 inches high and display in white letters on a black background the name of the road, the distance to and from important points, and all principal connections. Evidently “the wayfaring men though fools shall not err therein.” Other states are putting up similar signs. Illinois is using about the same size boards setting them for each turn in the road, each entering road, whether or not it comes in from one or both sides, each school and other places where special care should be taken. On a map attached to some of these signs is a point or star indicating the position of the sign on the road.

CROSS ROADS
TURN TO RIGHT
TURN TO LEFT
DANGEROUS DESCENT
RAILROAD CROSSING

INTERNATIONAL ROAD CONGRESS WARNING SIGNS

WHITE ON BLACK BACKGROUND

GO STRAIGHT AHEAD
TURN TO RIGHT
TURN TO LEFT
STOP SIGN
RAILROAD CROSSING

WARNING SIGNS AS USED ON SOME AMERICAN ROADS

BLACK ON WHITE BACKGROUND]

In addition to direction and distance signs Maryland erects large, 10 feet square, map signs at the limits of each of the larger towns. Upon this map is delineated the main routes through the town in white and the secondary routes in gray, the names of the streets and well-established landmarks, so that a person can make a decision of the route he wishes to take and follow it without difficulty. The color scheme is white letters on black background. They are oriented to read in the direction of travel so that if the signboard were pushed over ahead on its back the road would point in the direction of travel. On the map in red is a star with the words, “You are now at this point.”

On the top of mountain grades Maryland erects boards similar in size to the map boards, which state the number of miles down the mountain, indicate curves and give concise instructions how to drive down so as to avoid accident and personal injury. This is to assist inexperienced drivers and those unacquainted with the region by telling how to brake their cars by putting them into “high,” “intermediate,” and “low” at certain places, which, of course, will be very helpful, and may save an accident.

Where the state roads cross from Maryland into neighboring states a large sign 15 to 25 feet is erected on which is displayed the salient features of the state motor vehicle law. No one, therefore, need be ignorant of the law and thus unpleasantly encounter the state police. The contract price of these signs range from $12 for a single face direction sign to $347.50 for a state-line motor vehicle law sign. They are kept in repair by the contractor at prices ranging from $3.50 to $20 each per year.[231]

=Detour Signs.=--Perhaps nothing is more exasperating to the tourist than to come to a barricade with the word “Detour,” and then find the detour road practically impassable. In many states the contractor on a piece of construction work is obligated to care for detour roads and detour signs during the time the road is closed. Finding the obligation not well fulfilled several of the states are taking over that work in order that it might be done in a manner to satisfy the traveling public. Wisconsin[232] considers the proper marking and maintaining of detours more important than similar work of the regular trunk routes, for well-marked detours are necessary to keep enthusiasm for good road construction alive. Minnesota, North Carolina, and other states have adopted similar plans.

Before a road is closed a detour is selected and marked and thus automatically becomes a part of the state trunk line system. A map sign is placed at the ends of long detours showing the road under construction, the detour, the location of railways, cities, and prominent natural features. The traveler thus gets a definite idea of the way he must go to return to the main highway. Ordinary markers are placed along the line of detour.

In Connecticut and some other states a half width of the roadway is paved at a time, allowing the other half to be used while the first half is under construction. This is possible where the detour is not too long, or if there is passing room in the one-half way. Concrete is well adapted for this sort of construction. The joint down the center is a benefit rather than a detriment to this type of road surface; it acts as an expansion joint and allows a certain amount of flexibility under the warping action of heat, and furnishes a mid-line mark to keep passenger traffic in proper lanes.

Yellow on Black.

Yellow on Black.

White on Blue.

An improved form is given below:

Yellow on Black.

TRAFFIC GUIDES (From Eno’s “The Science of Highway Traffic Regulation.”)]

Widening the roadway before reconstruction has begun will also furnish room for the passage of vehicles. Of course under either of these two last methods the passing vehicles are more or less of a nuisance to the constructor and if a reasonably direct detour entirely away from the work under construction can be maintained in satisfactory condition so much the better. While the traffic must be inconvenienced to some degree by detours the fact that an effort is being made by the road authorities to make the substitute as pleasant as possible will leave a “good taste in the mouth” of the traveling public which is worth while whether that traffic is local or from a distance.

=Location of Detour Markers.=--The location or arrangement of detour markers in reference to the traveled way has received considerable attention. Of course the first signs are the barricade warning and at the barricade. In Illinois the State Department of Highways requires the barricade warning to be placed about 400 feet from the barricade. The map signs of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Carolina are used also as barricade signs. Any driver, not authorized, passing a barricade is by the laws of some states subject to arrest and fine. Detour arrows are placed at road intersections in such a manner that traffic going in either direction may follow the arrow. Illinois uses a black arrow on a white background. Iowa has somewhat similar signs except that the color scheme is a white arrow on a black background. The word “detour” is printed above and below the arrow and the one painted out that is not needed after the sign is erected. In Iowa upon primary (State) roads the district engineer, and upon county roads the county engineer, is held responsible for the following:

First.--He shall determine whether or not a detour is needed.

Second.--He shall coöperate with the local officials in choosing a
detour.

Third.--He shall provide for the proper marking of the detour.

Fourth.--He shall provide for the maintenance of the detour and
report such provision in the central office.

=Speed Signs.=--Most cities and towns have speed limits lower than that allowed in the open country. Some of them even divide the city into zones and make a different limit for each zone. On the outer edge of these zones and the outer edge of the city are often placed signs of warning such as “Speed Limit, 15 miles per hour.” In one city was facetiously added “Go slow and see our city, go fast and see our jail.” On the backs of these signs, the side seen by the traveler as he leaves, are sometimes painted the words “You’re Welcome--Come Again.” All of which is to give the traveler a good impression and thus advertise the community.

=Traffic Guides.=--Before leaving the subject perhaps something more should be said about traffic guides in the cities as most of what precedes has been written with a view to country roads, although many of these signs are applicable to city streets.

Lines upon the pavement should be used to define crosswalks, parking spaces, and restricted and reserved zones. Curbstones may be painted white or yellow to indicate no parking against them. In parking spaces the stall lines are painted, as this will keep vehicles close together and more will be able to park. If they are allowed to drive in promiscuously there will often be half and three-quarter spaces which cannot be used. Painted lines should be about 4 inches wide. If well put on with good paint they will wear for a considerable period. A painted line down the center of a roadway, especially on curves, is a great convenience and safety device for passing vehicles.

Eno tells us that the earliest traffic regulation signs in New York were worded “Slow moving Vehicles, Keep Near Curb.” These were followed gradually by many others.

It is not necessary to place on signs the name of the department authorizing them as, “Police Department,” “Department of Streets and Alleys,” as these take up room and make the signs no more impressive. The simpler and shorter the wording the better. I have been told, I did not see it, that in Boston instead of having a sign read “One-way Traffic,” it is made to say, “Vehicles Using This Street Will Follow in the Direction of the Arrow Only.” This may be merely a slam at the Bostonese but it illustrates the point.

Yellow on Black.

Improperly worded signs.

Properly worded

Black on Yellow.

Black on Yellow.

Yellow on Black.

Yellow on Black.

Yellow on Black.

NEW YORK CITY TRAFFIC GUIDES

“In November, 1903, one hundred blue and white enameled signs, directing slow-moving vehicles to keep near the right-hand curb, were put in use in New York. These were probably the first traffic regulation signs ever used.”

(From Eno’s “The Science of Highway Traffic Regulation.”)]

There are several types of signs in use. Most of them are made of enameled metal and may be placed on stationary or portable standards. The stationary standards may be made of iron pipe set in cement with the sign attached to its top. The sign should be just above a tall man’s head, say 6 feet 6 inches from the walk. Portable standards are frequently used, having an elongated (nearly elliptical) iron base, sufficiently heavy to hold them upright, and a pipe extending from a hole in the center vertically about 4 feet high, to bear the sign. These signs are placed on sidewalks to designate parking and no parking places, safety zones, etc.

=Dummy Cop.=--A post, column, or monument designed to stand at the intersection of streets in place of a traffic officer has been called a dummy cop. Mushrooms or cement bumps are sometimes utilized in the same manner. Bumpers are used, too, to indicate restricted and safety zones, isles of safety, etc. A dummy cop at night ought to carry a lantern or be illuminated from some outside source.

=Semaphores.=--A traffic officer sometimes uses a Go-Stop sign so arranged at the top of a standard that by turning a handle he can present one or the other of these two words to the traffic. Some of them carry a light at night, and an umbrella to shade the officer during the day. They are objected to on the ground that there is no neutral position, they always say either “Go” or “Stop.” If by a change in plan they could be designed so as to show neither word when the officer was not at his post they could act as dummy cops.

Crow’s-nest, or traffic tower, is a term given to a lookout or sentry box supported about 7 feet 6 inches above the street by a strong post. The crow’s-nest has a roof for shade and shelter and may carry a semaphore above it, and another lower down to attract the eye of nearby persons. As used in New York the arms have electrical control, and at night carry red lights. The semaphore is for the block system and may be made superfluous when rotary traffic methods are in vogue. Mr. Eno, who is given credit for the suggestion of the crow’s-nest, does not believe that they should be installed at every intersection, as a “continuous block system wastes too much of the traffic capacity of the street because between the time the signal is given to stop and the time the signal is given to go the vehicles (just ahead of the break) have gone ahead a long distance.... This leaves a large proportion of the street surface unoccupied by vehicles.”[233] The rotary system is advocated as one which will distribute the traffic uniformly over the whole surface of the street, and also equalize the speed of vehicles to a safe mean. Crow’s-nests may be used where there are street cars by making them high enough to clear the top of the cars.

=Signal Lights and Colors.=--The railroads in all these years have not come to a common usage of colors in signaling. All roads use red for stop, danger. Some use white and some green to proceed with caution; white and green are both used for clear, proceed. Here white is the same as yellow, because lanterns using oil burn with a yellow light which railroad men call white. Electric signals may be white in reality.