RECORD OF TESTIMONY AND STATEMENTS IN RELATION TO 87 



NECESSITY FOR DISTRICTING PLAN 



BROADWAY 



Vehicles Pedestrians 



Broadway and 23d St : 1,964 85,800 



Broadway and 24th St 9,000 62,900 



Broadway and 25th St 4,760 63,310 



Broadway and 34th St 12,800 101,000 



Broadway and 42d St 19,650 90,370 



While these figures do not show the direction in which traffic moved, 

 they do present a sufficiently vivid picture of the congestion which is the 

 rule at these points. It is noteworthy that near the streets where the num- 

 ber of high loft buildings is either small or where they are not tenanted 

 or only partly tenanted, the number of vehicles and pedestrians passing the 

 observer is considerably smaller than where the side streets house loft- 

 buildings filled with factories. Compare the traffic on Fifth Avenue and 

 14th Street, Fifth Avenue and' 23d Street with that on Fifth Avenue and 

 20th Street or Fifth Avenue and 32d Street and you will see the difference. 



Busiest corners on Fifth avenue 



To visualize the crowds finding their way during ten hours to given 

 spots' on Fifth Avenue we must realize that the 146,360 people counted on 

 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street exceed the whole population of the City of 

 Worcester, Mass. The 124,250 counted at 38th Street exceed the total 

 population of Omaha, Neb. The population of Grand Rapids, Mich., is 

 less than the number of pedestrians passing Fifth Avenue at 42d Street. 



On January 26, 1916, between 8:30 A. M. and 6:30 P. M. 8,662 vehicles 

 went south on Fifth Avenue at 42d Street, while 7,138 went north; 4,716 

 went east, and 3,567 went west. Of the vehicles on Fifth Avenue less than 

 4 per cent are of a commercial nature ; on 42d Street 33 per cent are of a 

 commercial character. 



Proportion of light and heavy vehicles 



South from 42d Street on the side streets this ratio of commercial 

 vehicles gradually increases. On 38th Street for instance, the ratio is 40 

 per cent; on 35th Street 42 per cent; on 33d Street 54 per cent; on 32d 

 Street 58 per cent; on 26th Street 6l per cent, and on 20th Street 70 

 per cent. How much delay is caused by the trucks delivering and receiving 

 goods to the high loft buildings can be seen by considering the fact 

 that out of a total of 1,425 commercial vehicles passing through 32d 

 Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, 612 stopped either parallel 

 to the curb or backed up against it. Perhaps the delays can be measured 

 by comparing the total number of vehicles counted in this block with 

 the total number of vehicles passing through 46th Street between Fifth 

 and Sixth Avenues. The count on 32d Street showed exclusive of 

 omnibuses, 1,204 passenger vehicles and 1,425 commercial vehicles. The 

 count on 46th Street showed, exclusive of omnibuses 4,814 passenger 

 vehicles and 478 commercial vehicles. Although 46th Street is of the 

 same width as 32d Street it accommodates easily double the number 

 of vehicles without crowding and without the supervision of a traffic police- 

 man. But 46th Street has no high factory loft buildings, while 32d Street 

 has a large number. A comparison of 38th, 37th and 35th Streets with 

 47th, 48th and 49th Streets shows the same situation. Instances like these 

 could be multiplied. It is, however, sufficient to call attention to the fact 



