A Proposed Solution for Traffic Congestion, Los Angeles, 1939: Suspended Roadways and Monorails

JF Ptak Science Books  Quick Post

This Quick Post entry is a simple one, repeating an entry that I've made to the bookstore section of this blog--I'm doing so just to make the info available, as the booklet is interesting and rare, and possibly a unique.  It is a work by A(lphonse) Davino, of Los Angeles, who had evidently maintained a lifelong interest in advanced transportation systems for cities--in this case, Mr. Davino approached the city of Los Angeles with his system. From what I can see the Davino System was a series of suspended monorails and auto lanes that would be used in conjunction with existing roads to address the increasing metropolitan congestion. If nothing else, Mr. Davino's plans are really quite lovely.  Here's a blueprint for the mainstay structures of the plan:

And a detail:

And another:

 

Here's the description of the work:

DAVINO, Alphonso (1888-1965?). A Brief analysis of the Traffic Congestion Problem and its Economical Solution. Self-published, Los Angeles, 1939. 11”x 8.5”, 8 leaves, four folding plates (two graphic displays, one map, one display of the suspended thoroughfares, the last two printed on heavy blueprint stock. Rare. No copies located in WorldCat. Provenance: Library of Congress (with their surplus stamp on title page).

“Suspended rapid transit and elevated highway system for high-speed passenger service” is what Mr. Davino was suggesting here, all of which was of his own design. I can not find very much at all for Mr. Davino, though he is a patent holder for at least three associated designs/ideas dating from 1926 to 1950. [Semirigid Suspended Railway Structures, 1607875, (1923);Aerial Railway Apparatus patent 2234487 (1943); Suspended Rapid Transit System 2781001A (1950), (suspended vehicles with self-propelled vehicles).] I also found a reference to a suspended transportation system of some sort offered by him through his business “Aerial Apparatus” of Los Angeles (in the Mining Journal, vol 110, 6 November 1920, p 910).

The folding plates:

• “Graphic Time Schedule”. 17.5”x 24”. Shows difference in travel time car vs bus compared to NYC “rapid transit” for moving over the same distance, and then compared to the proposed Davino system.
• Graphic Table Outlining Coats of Davino's Train System...” 11”x 15”.
• Blueprint. Suggestive Tentative Plan of the Davino Suspended Rapid Transit nd Elevated Highway System. Lovely!
• “Sketch Map of Los Angeles and Vicinity” showing the connections and possible routes of the Davino system. 11”x 15”.