Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: and Delegates to the 28th Annual Convention of the League of California Municipalities:

Several most important and vital subjects relative to Municipal Government have been discussed by various eloquent speakers preceding me on this platform. In all of which the delegation from San Francisco is vitally interested.

But Traffic is the greatest problem that is before the American public today. Every business house of any consequence has its trained Traffic Engineer or Manager. In fact the profession of Traffic Engineer is rapidly receiving the recognition it so justly merits. The relief of traffic congestion is the outstanding problem before every Board of Supervisors, city councilmen and police officers throughout the 58 counties of the State of California, as well as the rest of the nation.

Traffic control should be worked out by competent Traffic Engineers, and not laymen, although nearly everyone with whom we come in contact has the solution for this rapidly growing problem. A good example of traffic control is brought to our attention on entering this great and picturesque Valley. Think of it! 35,000 cars and over 209,000 people entered this Valley last year, all brought in over precipitous mountain roads under the control of a few well-trained forest rangers. The traffic problem has come on us over night, from a few horses and buggies 15 years ago, to untold thousands of automobiles today. San Francisco with 44 square miles of territory, onehalf of which is taken up with parks and

playgrounds, has 130,000 registered automobiles; nearly 6,000 to the square mile. We are building approximately 2,500 homes in San Francisco a year, and nearly everyone over a garage. Henry Ford has just finished his 14-millionth automobile and is now enlarging his plant in order to keep up with the demand for cheap transportation. This is only one of the conditions that is making our traffic problem so serious, and necessitating the widening of streets and highways. At the present time, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are listening to the representatives of 15 large financial institutions who are seeking a franchise to build a bridge, from San Francisco to the Alameda shore, costing anywhere from 40,000,000 to 100,000,000 dollars. What for? To relieve and speed up traffic. Needless to say that the attorneys and engineers who are presenting these great projects are the ablest attorneys and engineers that can be obtained. In fact, the greatest bridge builders in the world are now in San Francisco presenting their pet projects. After explaining the type of bridge they propose to build, they dwell for hours on the questions of landings and approaches, each claiming his location to be the best, as in his judgment will handle the greatest amount of traffic causing the least congestion.

Shortly after taking my seat on the Board of Supervisors last January, and receiving the Chairmanship of the Traffic Committee, I visited Los Angeles accompanied by the other members of my committee, and while there, learned a great deal about the handling of traffic,

both vehicular and pedestrian. The Los Angeles City Engineer, Mr. Dorsey, explained to us the synchronized traffic signal control system by which the entire down-town district is automatically controlled from a central point changing time several times a day to conform with the peak load of traffic. Mr. Cleveland Heath, assistant Chief of Police of Los Angeles, who is in charge of traffic enforcement and who by the way is attending this convention, gave us two days of his time, in explaining various traffic problems and showing us various conditions that he has to cope with in working out the traffic control system which he has so ably accomplished and in addition has given to our Traffic League many ideas that have been incorporated in the ordinance which will be mailed you.

We found that Los Angeles had a selfconstituted, self-financed, non-political traffic commission, that had raised some $30,000 or $40,000 to employ the celebrated Dr. Miller McClintock to work out a comprehensive traffic survey for them, and it is in a large measure, due to Dr. McClintock that Los Angeles has the traffic situation so well in hand.

After making our Los Angeles visit, the Committee unanimously recommended that San Francisco should have a similar traffic commission, to study its various traffic problems, and upon the adoption of a resolution from the Traffic Committee, his Honor, James Rolph, Jr., appointed a committee of some 40 prominent business men who organized the San Francisco Traffic Commission, independent of any political connections or affiliations, who financed themselves to the extent of some thirty odd thousand dollars, and I am happy to say have succeeded in engaging the services of Dr. McClintock and his staff to make a traffic survey for San Francisco.

Realizing the importance of uniform

traffic regulations, the Traffic Committee of the San Francisco Board, presented a resolution authorizing the creation of a Traffic League, to include all the cities and counties of Northern California. This resolution was unanimously adopted and a meeting called in San Francisco on July 16th and 17th, 1926, at which time about 40 gentlemen representing various northern districts were present. After discussion it was decided that the entire state should be brought together in this organization, and the name of California Municipal Traffic League was adopted, and organization was perfected to a minor degree.

I will be very brief in my remarks regarding the aforementioned meeting as each of you will be mailed a copy of the minutes; also a copy of the proposed uniform Traffic Ordinance which has been edited by Dr. McClintock; the adoption of which we recommend for the entire state. There will be a meeting of the Traffic League in Fresno, it being the most central point with hotel accommodations for a large gathering, on November 18th, 19th and 20th, and it is my purpose in appearing before you today to urge that a representative be sent from your city and county offices, both from the legislative and enforcement branches, to attend this convention where many important traffic problems will be discussed. In conclusion I wish to thank on behalf of myself and my colleagues attending this convention, each and everyone of the speakers who have so generously imparted so much useful knowledge and information regarding the many important subjects with which we are all confronted.

This is my first attendance at one of your conventions, but I assure you I will be on the job bright and early next

year.

When the City of Beverly Hills was preparing plans for the improvement of Wilshire Boulevard the problem was discussed, whether to do the construction under traffic conditions or whether to detour traffic around through Beverly Hills; without any opposition it was decided to go ahead and build the boulevard and handle traffic, so on the plans referring to the boulevard work it was noted that ONE-HALF OF THE BOULEVARD MUST BE KEPT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TRAVEL AT ALL TIMES; and all bidders had their attention drawn to that note. And I will say the prices were a trifle higher than if the boulevard was to be closed to traffic for five months.

The job was started on June 21st of this year and at this writing is approximately 35% completed, the most difficult part of the job nearing completion, the work covering a trifle over two and a half miles.

This work carried the following improvements: the lowering of a six inch oil line on the south side of the street, while the gas company changed the location of their mains on the north side, so the street would not have to be torn up for service connections; directly back of the gas company followed the 48-inch storm drain, being installed on the north side of the street, and at another portion a pedestrian tunnel was being constructed, one-half at a time. The construction of the tunnel necessitated the changing of the location of gas and water mains and

the change of grade of a sewer and the curving of the storm drain around the south side of the pedestrian tunnel.

I wish to say in laying a large storm drain or building a pedestrian subway it isn't as a rule a great job to lay one out, but is like a grab bag after a fellow gets started, as all kinds of surprises come up with utility lines never thought of, which interfere by crossing at the same grade when you figure you clear everything. A combination curb and gutter crew was getting in wherever they could get a run for a few blocks and at this writing 90% of the concrete curb and gutter is in and grading is under way to start laying concrete pavement, as this will be quite simple from a traffic standpoint. This pavement will be laid in three sections, the south portion being poured first; and then the north portion and lastly the center. All work pertaining to the traveled portion of the roadway, which is seventy feet from curb to curb, should be completed by November, the job being let so as to have it completed before the winter.

Conduit is also being installed for an ornamental lighting system, the day following the pouring of the curb, and conduit for traffic signals, is being installed prior to the laying of pavement and sidewalk. The installation of lighting standards is to follow the improvement.

In changing the lighting system it has been figured so that none of the side streets shall be darkened during construction on Wilshire Boulevard.