The New York Rapid-transit Subway

92 DISCUSSION ON NEW YORK SUBWAY. [Minutes of Mr. Inglis, with regard to longer distances. The Author could not be thanked too much for the Paper. Though long, it was remarkably condensed and could easily have been extended. He only wished Mr. Macassey would give The Institution a Paper dealing with the business side of the question, because such a Paper, combined with that under dis- cussion, would be a very useful contribution to the solution of the traffic-problem. Sir Torbert Sir Herbert Jekyll, K.C.M.G., was glad that Mr. Macassey had 9 dwelt upon the fact that although the differences between New York and London were so great, and the system that suited one place would not suit the other, there were still very useful lessons to be learned from the experience gained in dealing with travelling facilities for large numbers of people. One of the most striking features of the subway was the four lines of rail. In London it would scarcely be possible to have four lines under any of the exist- ing streets, even apart from the difficulties of construction. Still there might be some sort of combination by which each class of traffic could do the work appropriate to itself, instead of entering into a futile competition damaging to itself and to others. Rail- ways, tramways, omnibuses, and cabs, all had their respective fields of action, and if they could so co-operate as to get the greatest advantage from each, it was possible some system might be evolved which would produce the maximum benefit. The best hope for the future lay in co-operation rather than in rivalry. There were signs of im- provement, and the establishment of the London Traffic Conference was of the happiest augury. The improvements which had taken place during the last 3 or 4 years had added enormously to traffic- facilities in London, and for the moment the supply seemed to have overtaken if it had not outrun the demand. He said “for the moment,” for, without attempting to prophesy, it was fairly certain now that the demand would overtake the supply. The provision of new facilities invariably created additional traffic and fostered the travelling habit among the people, irrespective of the growtli of population. In the year 1902 the number of journeys made per head of population was 137; in 1906 it had risen to 159, a very marked addition. Therefore he held it was a great mistake to suppose, as some people asserted, that the traffic-problem had been solved; the pressure had been relieved for a time, but at no dis- tant date it would probably recur in an aggravated and acute form. The relative advantages of tubes and subways had been fully dealt with by Mr. Fitzmaurice. Probably everybody agreed that shallow subways with convenient access from the street were more convenient than having to go down lifts and wander along passages,