Policemen, Bus Drivers Unhappy About Change in Bus Regulations

Taxi drivers, bus drivers, and policemen interviewed yesterday all agreed that the new regulations for city bus parking are increasing the Square's traffic congestion and should be revoked.

Under these regulations, set up in January by Cambridge's traffic director Robert E. Rudolph, Central Squaro bound buses which used to stop in front of the Cambridge Trust Company now stop next to Lehman Hall. At peak hours of the day a line of six or eight buses extends from Harvard completely around the dog-leg of Mass. Ave.

Rudolph, when contacted last night, admitted that traffic flow in the Square has been upset by the bus parking changes. But he said that new schedules aimed at lessening the congestion will be put into effect at the end of the month.

"This street is too narrow to have buses parked right here," said the MBTA dispatcher who stands in front of Lehman Hall. "I'm just waiting for the day when a big truck comes from one way and a crane comes from another--we'll lose the side of a bus sure."

The taxi driver's protests were vehement and mostly unprintable. "The buses have taken away the best half of the best cab stand in Cambridge," said Sherman Van Schaick. "We lost room for eight cabs, and the replacement stands that Rudolph has given us are not worth anything."

Rudolph, Cambridge's "Outstanding Young Man of 1964," said, "We gave the taxis a stand in front of the Cambridge Trust Company that's just as good." "I think we're moving traffic a lot better now. The changes we've made have cut down the running time between Harvard and Central Square about 25 minutes. We know things are still wrong and we are working hard to correct them."

The policeman stationed at the crosswalk between the kiosk and the Yard agreed that the buses slow traffic. "People are scared; all those big buses sit there and the car drivers can't see the traffic light. So they slow down."

But the increasing congestion is not the only complaint. "We used to have a layover down in the MBTA yards," one driver said, "but now we have to stay with our buses. We don't have time to get a cup of coffee or go to the bathroom or anything."