THE MOTORIST AND THE PUBLIC - Burton W. Marsh, Director, ROADSIDES: A Symposium THEIR USE AND PROTECTION INTRODUCTION Harold J. Neale, Chairman: This is a Symposium on Roadsides---Their Use and Protection. Now I find that, according to Webster, the definition of a symposium is "a drinking party" which, in ancient Greece, took the form of a feast or social gathering at which there was free interchange of ideas. In this modern age and more specifically here, we use Webster's No. 2 definition of a symposium: "a conference at which a particular subject is discussed and opinions gathered." As these charts that you see on the wall indicate, "Conservation, Not Exploitation" should be the watchword. (See pg. 2). The next chart (see pg. 3) concerns "Utility, Safety, Beauty, and Economy"---four things the Committee on Roadside Development has been stressing for many years. This Committee takes pride in the fact that it is responsible for coining the expression "The Complete Highway"---complete to serve the public, for service and utility, for safety, for economy, and for beauty. We have a very able moderator who has been a member of another committee for several years and whose committee has worked with us and for us for the past six or eight years. It is very gratifying to me and other members of this Committee to have a man like Dr. David R. Levin take over one of our principal meetings. Dr. David R. Levin, Moderator: This is a symposium on Roadsides---Their Use and Protection. There is, as most of us know, an intimate relationship between the highway and its roadsides. The highway affects adjacent land uses, often stimulating their development; and, in turn, these land uses affect the movement of vehicles on the highway, often interfering with their safest and most efficient operation. The purpose of this symposium is to isolate, if we possibly can, the conditions and consequences that result from the interaction of the highway and its roadsides, each upon the other; and, once having identified the problem, to seek those directions of betterment that will promote greater safety and facility of highway travel and, at the same time, improve the physical and functional character of the adjacent areas themselves. These two objectives are not inconsistent with each other; in fact, evidence aplenty is now being assembled to prove that those measures which improve the character of highway service will also improve the nature of the roadsides, and vice versa. It is our good fortune to have assembled here what we consider to be an excellent and highly qualified panel of experts to start the ball rolling on this roadside symposium. This panel is highly diversified, as you can see. We have a highway designer from a progressive state; a traffic engineer of wide renown; |