The Improvement of London Traffic.*
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In view of the very large and increasing number of motor vehicles now employed, and the desirability of enabling such vehicles to make use of their available high speed, the great importance of combining a special motor road with any new main thoroughfare can hardly be too strongly urged. Such a road would have great commercial value, and would also make for the greater safety of the public and the better regulation of motor traffic. It should he so constructed that motors travelling along it would be entirely separated from the ordinary traffic, and it should be carried over or under all cross roads. This last requirement is vital ; without it there would be little advantage in having a special motor track in London, because the cross streets are so frequent that there would be continuous delay. Even in the case of a new toad designed for general traffic, it would probably be best to carry it over or under existing roads rather than suffer the delays, which must otherwise ensue. The extent of these delays can be seen at any important street junction in London, where during crowded hours, it will be found that the traffic in any one direction is probably held up for as much as thirty in every sixty minutes. As may be gathered from the few points already dealt with, no accurate opinion can really be formed as to the feasibility, and probable effect, of constructing new main roads, except upon the basis of some definite scheme, and the authors therefore submit certain proposals which were recently laid by them before the Royal Commission on London Traffic, and which
proposals are still under consideration by that body. This scheme is the joint work of the authors, and relates to the construction of two new main thoroughfares, or "Main Avenues," as they may for convenience be called, each 24 miles long, one traversing London from north to south and the other from west to east, and a number of subsidiary or branch roads, as shown in Fig. r of the illustrations. It is proposed to construct both
railways and. tramways along the Main Avenues, and tramways along the branch roads, so that these proposals also bear upon the transport of passengers, particularly in relation to the morning and evening traffic between central London and the suburbs.
The proposed north and south Main Avenue commences north of Enfield and passes to the westward of that place, through Tottenham, South Hornsey and Highbury to the Parcels Post Office at Mount Pleasant, between Pentonville Road and Rosebery Avenue, where it would have a junction with the proposed west and east Avenue. Thence it is continued through Hatton Garden, across Holborn and the Strand to St. George's Circus, passing -immediately east of the Temple and over the Thames by means of a new bridge. From St. George's Circus, the Main Avenue is continued through Camberwell, Lambeth, and West Dulwich, to a point south of the village of Beddington, passing east of the Crystal Palace and between Croydon arid Wallington. By means of branch roads, it is proposed to connect this Main Avenue with Finchley to the north-west, giving access to the Great North Road ; with Walthamstow, to the north-east, connecting with the main toad to Epping and Cambridge ; with Putney and Wandsworth, to the west, linking it with the Portsmouth Road through Kingston and Eltham, to the east ; with Addington and Purley, to the south-east, and Sutton, to the south-west, affording connections with the main Brighton roads through Epsom and Croydon. It is also proposed to construct a new cross road between the Tower and Vauxhall Bridges, which would join the Main Avenue, south of Newington Butts. A new embankment on the south side of the river is suggested, to directly connect this Avenue with Blackfriars Bridge to the east, and Waterloo Bridge to the west, as seen in Fig. 7.
The proposed west and east Main Avenue commences in the vicinity of Osterley Park, near Hounslow, and passes through Ealing, Acton, Notting Hill, Paddington, and Marylebone, to the junction with the north and south Main Avenue at Mount Pleasant. The Edgware Road is crossed at Praed Street, and the Avenue is carried south of the Marylebone Road and along the Euston Road, past St. Pancras to King's Cross, where it bends sharply to the south-east and, as already stated, has a junction with the north and south Main Avenue. From Mount Pleasant this Avenue continues eastwards to Liverpool Street. For this section alternative proposals are put forward. By one the Avenue would pass through Charterhouse and would keep north of the Metropolitan Railway. By the other it would trend southwards round C'harterhouse, and would follow the Metropolitan Railway to lloorgate Street. At Liverpool Street a modification is made in the design of the Avenue, enabling the width to be reduced, and the quantity of land required to construct this important section—which is here located over the Metropolitan Railway—is minimised as far as possible. From Liverpool Street the Main Avenue continues almost due east, crossing the Whitechapel Road and passing through Stepney and Bow Common. Trending slightly northwards, it passes on through East Ham, and, leaving Barking to the north, terminates in the vicinity of Dagenham. Branch roads are proposed to connect the west and east Main Avenue with Kew to the south; Perivale and Sudbury to the north-west, and Ilford and Romford to the north-east, giving direct communication with the main roads on the west and east of London.
These Main Avenues would accommodate traffic passing through greater London, and assisted by the branch roads, would form the most convenient route to the city and neighbourhood for a large number of the country districts, lying immediately outside the county boundary. The north and south Avenue would draw traffic from all the northern railway termini by means of the west and east Avenue, and from Victoria, London Bridge, and Bricklayers Arms goods stations by means of the new cross-road between the Tower and Vauxhall Bridges. Waterloo Station would also be reached by the proposed new embankment. The west and east Main Avenue would tap the railway termini at Paddington, Marylebone, Euston, St. Pancras, King's Cross, Broad Street and Liverpool Street. It would pass through some of the most congested parts of the city and close to the East and West India Docks. Both Main Avenues have been laid out to pass, where possible, through poor class property. The north and south Avenue would traverse the insanitary arcas near Saffron Hill and between the Thames and St. George's Cirens, and the overcrowded districts in or near Clerkenwell and St. Pancras. The west and east Avenue would practically do away with the insanitary areas near Houndsditch and Middlesex Street, and with sections of the overcrowded districts of Whitechapel and Stepney. The Avenues terminate in open country, which they are designed to develop ; but the intermediate districts passed through are already largely populated, and need, or will shortly need, additional means of reaching the city and west end. The north and south Main Avenue passes close to the building sites, acquired by the London County Council, at Tottenham and Norbury, which are expected to accommodate respectively about ao,oeci and 6,000 people.
In laying down the route of these Avenues no endeavour was made to follow existing roads ; but, on the contrary, important streets at any rate were avoided. This was done to minimise disturbance to business, and because it was found that it was far cheaper to take an entirely new route than to attempt to follow and widen existing roads. The width suggested for the Main Avenues is r6oft., and for the branch roads tooft. The new street between Holborn and the Strand is only rooft. wide ; Holborn and Oxford Street average 7oft. wide, the Clerkenwell and Edgware Roads 6oft. wide, and these are some of the broadest and most important main roads in London. The foregoing dimensions for the new Avenues and roads may, therefore, appear excessive, but most of the expert evidence tendered to the Royal Commission is in favour of the adoption of some such widths for new main roads, and it must be remembered that in the case of the Main Avenues it is proposed to provide a special track for motor vehicles.
Reference has already been made to the necessity of carrying any new main thoroughfares over, or under, existing important streets. The Main Avenues described would cross many such streets, and, in fact, within a radius of four miles from St. Paul's, there would be 38 crossings on the north and south _Avenue, and an even larger number on the west and east Avenue. It is not difficult to understand that much, if not all, of the usefulness of the new Avenues would be lost if traffic along them were delayed at these crossings, not to speak of the effect of minor side roads. Moreover, the traffic on the new Avenues would equally interfere with that on the cross streets, and would, therefore, aggravate any existing congestion there. This danger could be avoided by carrying the Avenues, by means of bridges, over cross streets, keeping the new roads on the ground level between the points of crossing, but such bridges would have to be so numerous that the roads would become a series of inclines, and their construction impracticable. The alternative is, obviously, to build at a high level, so that the new Avenues would pass over all cross streets without difficulty. Holborn Viaduct, where it crosses Farringdon Street, illustrates on a small scale the general method of construction as regards the upper street. In the outer districts of London, where the cross roads are neither so numerous, nor the traffic upon them so dense, such a construction would not be required. In this case the north and south Main Avenue is brought down to the ground level immediately to the north of Tottenham and to the south of the Crystal Palace. The west and east Avenue is similarly treated west of Acton and east of West Ham (see Figs.
and 4). In fixing these points, which are further out than is required by the present traffic conditions, regard is had to the future growth of London. If it is necessary, for the convenience of ordinary traffic, to take new thoroughfares over or under cross streets, it must be still more important to do this in the case of a special road for motor vehicles only.
Where it is proposed to construct the Main Avenues as elevated roads, they would have the following cross section (see Figs. 2 and 3). The Main Avenue proper, or upper deck, would be 23ft. above the ground level and built in halves, each of which would have a footpath, next the building line, 12ft. in width, a 4oft. roadway, and a second footpath r4ft. wide. Between the halves, and bordered by the central footpaths, would be the motor road, with an effective width of 26ft. This road would be normally placed at ground level (see Fig. a), hut at important cross roads it would rise by inclines to the level of the upper deck and pass over them (see Fig. 3). With the motor road at ground level, free communication, by means of bridges, of any desired width, would be possible between the halves of the upper deck. The space below the upper deck would be utilised for lower roads, situated one under each half of the upper deck, intended for the use of slow traffic and to facilitate the access of goods to the lower floors of shops and warehouses. At the side of each of the lower roads, and underneath a footpath there provided, would be pipe subways, this being the most convenient position for house connections. On the elevated or double-decked section of a Main Avenue the buildings would be all built up from the edge of the footpaths without forecourts or gardens, and the level of the upper deck would be regarded as their ground level and the storey fronting on the lower roads as a basement. With the motor road down at the level of the lower roads, in its normal position, light and air would be admitted to the latter. To enable it to be kept at this level for the greatest possible proportion of its length, the gradients might be i in 20, which would not be permissible if it were to be used by other than motor vehicles.
From what has been stated, it will be seen that the frequency of cross roads, and the necessity of carrying the Main Avenues over or under them, is the governing factor in the design of cross section just described, but, at the same time, a number of incidental advantages are secured. For instance, it would not be necessary to carry unimportant cross streets through, but simply to connect them with one side of the lower road, and allow the traffic to proceed to the right or left, until a more important street was reached. This is a matter of some importance, as it reduces the number of inclines required on the motor road, and enables frequent cross bridges to be built between the halves of the upper deck. The accommodation given by the lower roads would also be useful, as it would enable the Main Avenue proper, or upper deck, to be kept free from slow vehicular traffic, and would provide space for loading and unloading heavy goods, so that standing carts on the upper deck, with the nuisance which they usually cause in a busy thoroughfare, could be entirely avoided. It is also proposed, and would be quite easy to arrange, to do all the scavenging from the lower roads, everything being washed down suitable drains from the upper deck to collecting pits accessible from below. Access to the upper deck would be by means of inclines for vehicular traffic (see Fig. 61, and by inclines and steps for pedestrians. The inclines would occur at all important cross streets, and at these points it would be possible for motorcars either to leave or to enter the motor road. No gradient on the Main Avenues proposed—with the exception of the special motor road gradients—would exceed i in 35, and the gradients of the connecting or approach roads to the upper deck should be limited to r in 3o.
As already stated, the total length of the Main Avenues is 48 miles, of which it is proposed that 35 miles should be elevated and constructed as ,described. On the remaining 17 miles the width of r6oft. would be continued, but the upper deck would be brought down to ground level, and the upper and lower roads merged into one (see Fig. 4). The motor road would remain in the centre, but would be crossed on the level by vehicles or pedestrians. In the case of a particularly important cross-road occurring, the Main Avenue, together with the motor road, would be carried over it by a bridge, but this would seldom he necessary. These portions of the Main Avenues are so designed that, at some future date, when the growth of the population might require it, they could easily be converted into the elevated or double-decked structure, without either the acquisition of further land or serious interference with the traffic along them.
As has been pointed out, the Main Avenues would lose much of their usefulness if not combined with railways and tramways, and it will now be convenient to consider more in detail what it is necessary to provide. It was clearly proved in connection with the numerous tube railway schemes which have come before Parliament in recent years that existing railways cannot adequately deal with even the present suburban traffic of certain neighbourhoods, much less with the probable future traffic. But, apart from the relief of these railways, it is necessary to open up new districts to meet the growing needs of London, and, in particular, to enable and encourage the working classes to make their homes in the remoter suburbs instead of living in overcrowded tenements in densely-populated areas. If the proposed Main Avenues and branch roads be constructed, a very large number of working-class dwellings would be pulled down, and, on financial grounds alone, it would be impossible to house the persons anywhere but on the outskirts of London.