Rudolph Plans Improved Traffic

Boston area drivers don't know how bad they have it, claims Robert E. Rudolph, who was appointed last summer as Cambridge's traffic director. Rudolph vows to improve driving conditions in Cambridge, however--at a cost to the city of $15 million.

"The people," he explains, "are putting up with congestion and insurance rates that they don't have to put up with. The big problem is that Metropolitan Boston drivers in many cases don't even realize how well traffic could move, so that they don't recognize how bad the problem is.

"We can get twice as much traffic through Harvard Square and not have as much congestion," he promises, "and this is a nice, safe statement."

Rudolph expects to improve traffic flow on Massachusetts Ave. so much that it will be a faster route between Harvard Square and M.I.T. than Memorial Drive. The longer trip from one end of Mass. Ave. to the other will take about ten minutes.

He mentions that Hanover St. in Baltimore, Md., where he worked before coming to Cambridge, is of the same width as the local thoroughfare, yet handles 5000 cars on hour, compared with Mass. Ave's present 1500. Hanover St. has five lanes, and the direction of traffic in the center lane is indicated by lights and is switched automatically as necessary.

Other possible changes for the Cambridge artery include instituting peak-hour parking restrictions, setting up bus lanes, and making at least part of it a one-way street. "There is a possibility," he adds, "that a part of Harvard Square will be made one-way."

His proposed parking restrictions would prohibit all stopping during rush hours. The lane next to the curb can be restricted to buses and cars about to make right turns. "Where bus lane regulations are properly enforced," claims Rudolph, "both buses and traffic move faster."

The traffic director estimates that to correct the present situation in six years would require $20,000 a month. "I don't control the money," he emphasized. "It is a matter of how fast this city wants its problems straightened out."

The director expects to have pedestrian phases added to many traffic lights, but insists, "We cannot put any more pedestrian signals up unless we adopt a jaywalking law." In accordance with a recently passed state law, all new pedestrian signals will be electric "Walk-Don't Walk" signs, rather than the traditional red and yellow lights.

"In general," asserts Rudolph, I don't like traffic circles." The one near Lamont, he adds, will be "one of the first to go. The concept of a circle is that traffic does not have to stop. As soon as there is so much traffic that it stops, a circle is no longer the answer."

The director will carry out a thorough review and possibly a revamping of the city's traffic laws. He wants "rules and regulations that are fair and strictly enforced. We'll take out a bad regulation; we won't just not enforce it."

He wants to abolish many blanket laws and consider each situation individually. An example of what he calls a "bad regulation" is the prohibition of parking on the left side of all one-way streets. "In some places this is ridiculous," he asserts. If a one-way street is broad enough, then parking should be legal on both sides.

Most of the money spend by Rudolph will go toward a modern system of traffic lights. He explains that "you can't try to move 1963 automobiles with 1930 signals. Two seconds in the phase of a signal can make a big difference."

Eventually, he hoped to have all the lights in the city automatically regulated by a computer-run central control. "Without a modern signal system," Rudolph admits, "I don't think traffic will move too well."

Such a system would probably cost about $1.25 million. However, much of this amount would have to be spent on regular improvements to the city's signals anyway.