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"Each of said signs to be placed wherever practicable, at the top of the platform railing, and in all cases to be placed as conspicuously as possible and to be maintained in such way that advertising signs, vending machines and other obstructions shall not interfere with a view of the signs.

"(2) That said company construct an additional stairway from the gallery landing to the northerly side of Broadway at the Gates avenue station and widen the stairway now leading from the gallery to the station platforms as much as the side stringers will allow; this work to be completed by or before April 10, 1908.

"(3) That said company construct an additional stairway from the gallery landing to the northerly side of Broadway at the Halsey street station and widen the stairway leading from the gallery to the station platforms as much as the side stringers will allow; this work to be completed before April 10, 1908.

(4) That hereafter said company shall remove all unnecessary parts of the elevated structure of said company on Broadway, in the borough of Brooklyn, when the new girders are inserted.

"(5) That said company remove the platform and station, including stairways, from the structure of said company at the intersection of Fulton and Tillary streets, in the borough of Brooklyn, by or before March 2, 1908.

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(6) That the said company repair the station and stairways on the Fulton street line of said company at Lafayette avenue by or before February 10, 1908, and thereafter keep the same in first class order, whether used or not."

Shelter at Fifth Avenue and Thirty-sixth Street.— Complaint being made of the inadequacy of the waiting room accommodations and shelter of the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad Company at Fifth avenue and Thirty-sixth street, it was referred to the railroad company (Order No. 95). The answer not being satisfactory to the Commission, Order No. 147 was issued for a hearing. It appeared from the testimony that the Thirty-sixth street station of this company is on a high point of ground where the winds which sweep across New York bay drive upon any waiting passenger, and that the waiting room provided at the northerly end of the station is not cared for in such way that the women passengers avail them

selves of it. The station was examined by an inspector employed by the Commission and he reported that it was feasible to erect wind breaks or partitions on the platform which would be a protection to the passengers awaiting transit. Doubt as to this was expressed by the officials of the road because of the effect of such winds breaks in impeding the movement of passengers from one train to another, it being a transfer station.

Upon recommendation an order (No. 173) was issued by the Commission providing as follows:

"(1) That said Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad Company construct and maintain proper partitions to break the force of the wind on the westerly platform of the Thirty-sixth street station on the Fifth avenue line of said company, the same to be completed on or before the 25th day of January, 1908.

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(2) That said company reconstruct the waiting room at the northerly end of the westerly platform of said Thirty-sixth street station, making the same neat and accessible, with the interior light and properly ventilated; and that said company shall maintain the same as a first class passenger waiting room, and shall keep the same properly heated in cold weather. These changes and improvements shall be completed on or before the 25th day of January, 1908.

"(3) That said company immediately renovate and properly repair and refit the waiting room on the southerly end of the easterly platform of said Thirty-sixth street station, and that said company shall maintain the same as a first class passenger waiting room."

Terminal Facilities at Cypress Hills Station.- Complaint was also made to the Commission as to the inadequacy of the terminal facilities of the Cypress Hills station, at Crescent street and Jamaica avenue, and it was suggested that an additional stairway or stairways were required to accommodate properly traffic at that point. At the hearing (Order No. 66), a desire was evidenced on the part of the railroad company to meet the wishes of the complainants and of the Commission, by making adequate improve ments at the Cypress Hills station, but there is some difference of opinion as to what improvements would be best.

At the suggestion of the presiding Commissioner the matter was referred to Mr. Turner, chief inspector of stations of the Commission, and to the representatives of the company, and the complainants to inspect thoroughly the whole situation as to switches, stairways and platforms, and to agree if possible upon what was desirable to be done in improving the Cypress Hills station. A decision had not been reached at the close of the year.

F. THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE.

General Conditions. One of the first matters to receive the special attention of the Commission was the congestion in passenger traffic, morning and evening, on the Brooklyn bridge. A committee was appointed on July 8th to personally investigate and report. Public hearings were held at which the matter was discussed and many means of relief suggested, and the actual operation of cars using the bridge was put under the continuous daily observation of trained inspectors in the employ of the Commission.

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The Commission has had the cordial co-operation of the city officials of the Bridge Department in its endeavor to improve this service and altogether considerable has been accomplished. should be remembered that the jurisdiction of this Commission extends to the service by the operating companies over it only, and not to the structure of the bridge itself, as the city charter gives that responsibility to the Department of Bridges.

Regardless of the numbers of persons using the bridge, what they and the public generally demand is relief from the present crush and distressing conditions, but in order to appreciate intelligently the difficulties of dealing with the present condition, the tremendous traffic over the bridge should be known. Actual count made under the direction of officials of the Bridge Department, on October 17th, 1907, shows that on that day 426,364 persons used this bridge, going from Manhattan to Brooklyn or from Brooklyn to Manhattan, a number exceeding by several thousand. the entire population of Buffalo, the second city in population in the State, and more than the entire population of the State of Rhode Island; that it required the operation of 15,263 cars, composing 1,302 elevated trains and 600 bridge trains, to transfer

such passengers; that in the heaviest hour of travel 54,726 persons crossed this bridge in one direction, and that this is but an average bridge day's traffic.

Breakdowns. The daily reports of the inspector disclosed the fact that much of the delay of cars on the bridge resulted from imperfect equipment of some of the surface cars, causing breakdowns. This was found to be particularly true of the cars of the Smith street line owned by the Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad Company. The matter was brought to the attention of the operating company, hearings were had and testimony taken resulting in orders being made by the Commission to increase and perfect the equipment by the purchase of new cars, by supplying new and repairing defective equipment, and by requiring every car to go through the shop for thorough overhauling at the earliest possible day. (The details of this case are given on page 99.) The investigation also disclosed that during the rush hours the surface cars using the bridge were much impeded by overloaded trucks and other vehicles becoming stalled and breaking down in the roadway. It was found that delays thus caused aggregated many hours per month, and at the suggestion of its committee, the Commission recommended that the Department of Bridges adopt a rule to prohibit any heavily loaded wagons crossing the bridge during the rush hours, 7 a. m. to 9 a. m., and 5 p. m. to 7 p. m. This rule has been adopted and is being enforced. These various improvements have brought about the result that 12 per cent. more surface cars cross the bridge than ever before.

Some of the causes of delays to surface cars were found to be: Blowing out of fuses, breakdown of motors, derailment at loops, irregular methods of stopping on loops, improper discharge of passengers, failure of trolley wire to follow the curvature of the track at the loops, failure to properly sand the tracks during wet and foggy weather, and failure to have conspicuous destination signs on the cars. Causes of delays to trains were: Derailments, overloading of island platform preventing closing of gates, failure to open side doors, pulling out of draw bars due to neglect of equipment, insufficient motor power, and lack of superintendence of passengers. These are all little things, but when the bridge is

being used by 50,000 persons an hour, a delay of one second in its regular operation is equivalent in the aggregate to the loss of one and one-half business days for one person, and discomfort and inconvenience to thousands. A proper and intelligent superintendence and inspection by the corporations interested would have discovered and remedied these causes of delay, as it would also those caused by defective car equipment. It should be said that the shuttle train cars are owned by the city and their use will soon be discontinued.

Increased and intelligent police regulation and changes in the arrangements of platforms for loading and unloading during the rush hours have been suggested and the suggestion cordially accepted and acted on, all of which tend to increase the carrying capacity of the bridge and improve its traffic condition.

Traffic Congestion.- Nevertheless, the congestion in the hours of heaviest traffic is extreme and almost unendurable. This regrettable condition is the growth of many years. Since the opening of the Brooklyn bridge twenty-five years ago, it has been almost the only communication between two great cities. During that time the population dependent on this bridge has quadrupled. Device after device for increasing the capacity has been adopted as additional thousands of passengers have arrived. For the past eight years the bridge has been over-taxed. More people have sought passage than the bridge could properly carry on cars and trains. The city authorities have been unable to plan or construct sufficient bridges and tunnels, and those which they did prepare, such as the Manhattan bridge and the Battery tunnel, have been delayed years beyond their expected completion. The only relief for the Brooklyn bridge is to lessen the number of people that must use it, and it cannot be expected that in a single year complete relief can be accomplished. For a long time each improvement that affords the slightest alleviation to the Brooklyn bridge crush will be a signal for new people to try to cross it in the rush hours. To-day thousands go home before or after the evening rush hour to avoid the crowding, and many of these passengers will alter the time of their home going so that the crowd at certain times will continue to tax the capacity of the bridge.

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