ROADS 



197 



muddy roads there is a decrease in traffic of over one-half or 

 three-quarters during the spring months. For example, on a 

 muddy road leading into Springfield in March there was an 

 average of 65^ vehicles passing per day. On the same road 

 in June the average was 389. In March on a macadam road 



Fig. 176. A paved country road that %uill carry heavy traffic every day of 

 the year. This road was formerly impassable in bad weather. 



near Peoria there were 166 vehicles, and in June 145. On an 

 earth road near Carbondale there were 28 in March and 

 187 in June. On a gravel road near Decatur in March 

 there were 240 and in June 270. This shows conclusively 

 that traffic over poor roads in the winter and spring is less 

 than on good roads. 



Statistics indicate that there is no connection between 

 the size of towns and the volume of traffic. The density 

 of the population in the country is what determines traffic. 

 Roads near small towns are as important as roads near 

 the larger centers. Some country roads have more traffic 

 than those near the large cities. The amount of money 

 spent on a road should be in proportion to the traffic which 

 it will carry. In many cases the traffic on the roads a 

 mile or two out of town will warrant the expenditure of 

 four or five times as much as on the more remote roads. 

 It has been shown that earth roads are traveled very little 



