Report to Dallas (1955)

Due to rapid growth during the 1950s, traffic congestion became a critical issue facing Dallas. In response, city planners and the Dallas Citizens Traffic Commission worked to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently; their efforts are documented in this film. The Dallas Citizens Traffic Commission was formed in 1936 and, by the 1950s, included citizens from every Dallas civic organization. Their mission was to improve traffic safety and efficiency for Dallas citizens. Film produced by the Dallas Citizens Traffic Commission, property of the Dallas Municipal Archives.

[@rharvey2124]

Wow. At about 1:20 in there appears to be a Model A Ford driving away on that freeway from the camera filming. That car would have been about 25 years old by the time this mid-50s movie was made.

[@trevorjameson3213]

My grandfather had a '34 Ford V-8 that he didn't sell until '63. He said he hated the weird look of the newer cars.

[@teddidunavant5907]

I'm a 3rd generation TEXAN and Dallasite. I find this amusing. I was 6 when this video was made and life was so wonderful then. We even had prayer in schools, and saluted the flag and took Calif. Placement Exams and they were spontaneous, not taught to us in advance. In those days, DISD was highly recognized for excellence! Dallas has always been a great place to live and has had some of the finest leaders come from our city to lead the State and nation, not to mention we are in the best state, Texas, in the country!🇨🇱

[@dave1956]

Yes we have come so far in 65 years. NOT! I am a little bit younger and so grateful that I am the age that I am. I don’t have children or grandchildren but I don’t envy the subsequent generations one bit.

[@mariselamendiola]

Unless u were colored

[@Smarterthanyou-mthrfkr]

Liberalism has destroyed education.

[@25447carepear]

Salute the flag?? 😂 Idols.

[@sabrinashelton1997]

@@mariselamendiola Ask them that. How would you know? Also, who cares? This woman can have her good memories. Look around at what the colored people did with all their freedoms and look at how nice the schools are now that they are overrun with monkeys.

[@matrox]

Looks like quite a few 1930s cars were still on the road in 1955.

[@thetexanhusky]

Nothing really new. You're bound to see cars that were produced 20-30 years in the past even today. I still see a decent amount of 90s and especially 2000s cars even now.

[@matrox]

@@thetexanhusky In the early mid 60s my fathers friend had an early midn30s car he drove over to our house. I don't think it was his only car though. He was older than my father was and very well may have bought it new. He was probably in his 50s or pushing 60 at the time which would have made him in his 20s in the 1930s.

[@Chevy4x4dawg]

Very interesting look at Dallas history!!!!!!!

[@lukepeita6454]

Absolutely love these videos of times gone by thanks for posting 😁👍

[@B250R]

Thanks so much for posting.

[@johnslate1828]

Thank You, more to come!

[@BradyA1124]

Anybody complaining about the traffic in Dallas has forgotten about Houston traffic

[@Alex-ri7xr]

Bc we don’t care about Houston

[@chickensmack]

Electric streetcars running through downtown. Hard to imagine it.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

And to think, Dallas brought back some vintage electric streetcars.

[@steveh.3370]

Electric street cars ran from Dallas to Waco.

[@michaelmedina8304]

@@steveh.3370 where are they now?

[@redblue8983]

Hey, at least now you have huge congested roads and highways and massive lifeless parking lots!

[@vidpie]

​@@michaelmedina8304 "The Texas Electric Railway is a historic interurban railroad that operated from Dallas, Texas, to Denison, Corsicana, and Waco. It began operation in 1908 and through the merger of several companies became the largest interurban railway operator in the South before its demise in 1948." ...They weren't streetcars, but did use streetcar tracks to reach the company's terminal in downtown Dallas. "Today several pieces of infrastructure still remain. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail system utilizes the right-of-way of the Texas Electric Railway for several of its lines, including the Red Line. The original Plano Station still serves as Downtown Plano station on the DART Red Line. The wood frame passenger depot in downtown Plano and its attached brick electric transformer section remained in use until December 31, 1948. The Plano Station building now hosts the Interurban Railway Museum where a restored Texas Electric Railway car may be seen, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Monroe Shops (1914), once the maintenance facility for Texas Electric's vehicles, was restored in 2011 and now serves as headquarters to the DART Police Department. The Dallas Interurban Building (1916), once serving as the main Dallas depot, now houses residents and retail. The Texas Electric Railway Allen Station still stands at 105 South Butler Drive."

[@dave1956]

I have only been to Dallas once, but I recognized Dealey Plaza which would become infamous in just a few years. The street where President Kennedy’s assassination took place had traffic going in the opposite direction of that day in 1963. It seems to me that downtown areas were so much more vibrant than today. I can only imagine what parking downtown must have been like. It was bad 3 years ago.

[@salvadorvela8146]

Sixty years later and Dallas traffic is worse as it's ever been. Thanks city planners and Dallas Citizens Traffic Commission.

[@Chevy4x4dawg]

To be fair there were to be flying cars in 2000. That was 21 years ago ... 😑

[@thetexanhusky]

@@Chevy4x4dawg Nobody needs flying cars. Cars should stay FAR away from city centers.

[@ZhmiKnopa]

It’s way better than the other metros I have lived in. Dallasites complain about it but most haven’t lived anywhere else. SF, LA, Seattle, Sacramento… you should see what it’s like there.

[@redblue8983]

What do you expect when everyone has to own a car because American cities are designed so badly

[@HardRockMaster7577]

We need to bring the "T" Men back !!!!

[@NickCager]

@1:12 ... that's the spot JFK was shot, it looks to be filmed from on top of the Texas School Book Depository.

[@wsst1000]

What an interesting look into the civic activists of Dallas. The committee, the T-Men volunteers, the Juvenile Drivers License Committee. It blows my mind how earnest and organized they were. But wasn't this the same time when bombs were going off in South Dallas and the newspapers were covering it up to try to protect the city's image?

[@MrDariolett]

Has there ever been a time without some kind idealism and those that would see that same idealism brought down? In late 1950’s Dallas there where almost the same political dynamics I see today and probably the same we will see in the future.

[@michaelmedina8304]

Bombs what was all that about? Are you sure?

[@WilliamJones-sf5pt]

Man! Why do people keep moving to Dallas with all those dangerous old cars on the street?

[@bobt5778]

1:05. Interesting traffic flow. Frightening actually.

[@Chevy4x4dawg]

Still there to this day.

[@bobt5778]

@@Chevy4x4dawg Seriously? Holy crap!

[@Chevy4x4dawg]

@@bobt5778 Yup signal controled

[@paulbrancato8262]

No it's not. Commerce and Elm are each one way. Main is still 2 way, but blends with the roads on either side.

[@Chevy4x4dawg]

@@paulbrancato8262 Still a interesting and unique traffic flow.

[@BrentSchneider]

So cool, when will they release the findings on diminishing congestion?

[@trevorjameson3213]

Ha!!

[@muttleytv5076]

Man!! Absolutely Beautiful...no homeless,no baggy saggy pants...and NO TENTs

[@Mark-uv6sm]

So Very True, when people listen to others, When people knew their place in the community.

[@paulgardner5079]

Im actually a bit surprised Dallas was that big population wise back then...now its about 1.25 million, right?

[@amynguy]

as crimes have increased in Dallas downtown, people keep moving up north towards Carrollton, Plano and now ever further to Prosper/Celina.

[@paulgardner5079]

@@amynguy covid and the 2020 riots really did a number on downtown.. in 2015-19, downtown was getting consistantly better and cooler. when I attended Eastfield, I would always go have a few drinks downtown before I caught the last train home to garland. went downtown last year, it wasnt NEAR what it had been, it reminded me of downtown when I was a teen in the 90s

[@Chevy4x4dawg]

6:42. What no screaming sovereign citizen.......

[@stevengallant6363]

Back in the 1950s police officers violating Citizen's rights was acceptable and considered normal... nowadays citizens will not accept that behavior from police officers. Check out James Freeman Channel. James likes police officers that uphold their oath but also feels corrupt police officers are not above the law

[@jackjr.sparrow3668]

What was the speed limit on the highway during that time? Asking because old cars had less gears and lower gear ratio.

[@JesseTheMindless]

15:45 Triple Underpass & Grassy Knoll - Dealey Plaza!

[@user-df4yl3cs6q]

First exit i35e north of oak cliff, also a ramp now connecting to woodall rodgers freeway

[@ed9492]

I can't imagine the kind of traffic jam that happens in that parking garage every afternoon.

[@VahidMusictx]

They taught traffic was a lot back then. The whole Dallas-fort worth region is a hot damn mess of traffic lol 😅

[@valentinius62]

The intro reminds me of Dragnet.

[@MreOsc68]

Looks like Maple Terrace and Stoneleigh at 2:13 at the very top of the video.

[@saxmanb777]

“Buildings in downtown have gone up yet the downtown streets weren’t widened.” Now if that wasn’t the most ironic statement I’ve heard.

[@playballdr]

anyone remember the red Pegasus on the Magnolia hotel

[@vidpie]

There is still a red Pegasus atop the hotel. And the original is by the convention center hotel. D Magazine: "It’s not every Dallas City Council meeting that you hear that a giant red horse might fall from the sky, but it’s Wednesday and it’s 2022, so sure, it tracks. Except, technically, it’s two giant red horses. In the last agenda item the Dallas City Council tackled before taking a lunch break today, the Office of Arts and Culture informed the members that the Pegasus derrick atop the Magnolia Hotel downtown was in danger of potentially, uh, toppling down - all 30 tons of it. An hour and a half later, all but one council member approved spending about $358,000 to secure and repair the piece of public art that the city has had in its charge since 1934. Now, for those of you playing along at home, this is not the original 1934 Pegasus. This is the new sign that was installed in 1999 in time for the hotel’s New Year’s Eve unveiling. ...When the Omni Hotel was built, the restored original 1934 Pegasus was installed in front of it - safely on the ground. Both structures are part of the city’s public art catalog." Austin Chronicle: "The original Pegasus sign was lost for 15 years before being discovered in a warehouse and renovated with new red neon lights. The 35-by-40-foot flying horse slowly turns (once every five minutes) on a short oil derrick at 555 S. Lamar St. in a park near the entrance to the Omni Hotel, still welcoming visitors and selfie photographers to Dallas."

[@joshstephens3650]

They should have invested in a mass rail/subway system, like BART in San Francisco.

[@deanchapman1824]

​@@sweezlesquee😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 you still absolutely need a car.

[@saxmanb777]

@@sweezlesqueeI wouldn’t say DART is sick. Still need a car to get to the stations.

[@gw2955]

Sure glad they solved that traffic issue.

[@Yandelvillegas]

😢😢😢

[@CoolBreezeAnthony]

I like.

[@Yandelvillegas]

Me to

[@everettalexander5990]

This was before Tom Landry.

[@Rosarium2007]

At 4:58 that almost looks like LBJ.

[@michaelhostetler5190]

Drove truck went there every week....

[@phillipdavenport4997]

Amazing as we approach 2025 and we still have a huge traffic problem

[@steveh.3370]

Dallas traffic cops wore white caps back then.

[@Yandelvillegas]

It’s ass Nigga shut the f up am gonna go to yo destroy yo Nigga tomorrow Nigga this is what 😮 you expect niggga

[@dianajemes7616]

I just realized they don't have any stoplights I'm like why is the traffic cop there what is he doing. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 that's so amazing an crazy to think.

[@zone47]

Well no wonder traffic is plugged up! Look at all those old under-powered clunkers they are driving... no wonder they have problems.

[@plunkervillerr1529]

In 1955 you thought you had a population growth problem . Oh back to those thilling days of yesteryear .

[@Mark-st7mp]

05:06 This man on the left side looks quite a bit like LBJ.

[@timmartin7664]

Maybe it is before intered politics

[@secularprogressive5379]

Traffic engineers then made a lot of big mistakes. Separated entire neighborhoods by highway

[@secularprogressive5379]

@gabe The choices made within cities though were atrocious

[@HardRockMaster7577]

Thanks LBJ !!!

[@secularprogressive5379]

@@HardRockMaster7577 It was a decision made by city planners

[@sheldonlamey7010]

Which car in 55 had 300 horsepower.🤔 According to the video?

[@timmartin7664]

Chrysler 300 packed a 331 cid hemi. It was the CTS-V of it's day

[@KrisDeHall]

Wonder when crosswalks were invented and implemented?

[@johnslate1828]

There is a long history of crosswalks: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_crossing#History

[@25447carepear]

I wish Dallas would preserve and tell it's real black history. Too bad it's hidden but those who know, know.

[@michaeldonahue5068]

Ever notice intractable problems have a life of their own?

[@ryanblum3375]

Thank you to the late gentlemen who authored this report, and hence destroyed our once great downtown, all in the name of better flowing traffic.

[@traffiquest1094]

Back in Time and Find One Morning Leavin' Home, all Cars, Women Skirts, Hairstyle, Everything is from 1955. But When you Went to Sleep Last Night, it was June 2022. 🤯

[@angelgutierrez2027]

Who Gives A Rats Ass.. Many Years Later. Still The Same Or Even Worst.. As Long As The People Making The Rules Is People That Only Care For Money. Nothing Changed and Nothing Will Change!

[@daves2058]

I want to be a T Man!

[@Chevy4x4dawg]

1955 TMan. 2021 Karen.

[@Sojourning_]

I think I had three driving lessons at 16, . no drivers ed. bought my car and went for it. went off to the military, ets no one ever asked if I knew how to drive, it was always expected of me I can and would. Low bed trucks. jeep dump trucks my primary was a cat operator. I drove in Korea and in Vietnam, I can't recall being the one ever to drive in the main cities, in Korea or Vietnam , high balling yes, a made rush peddle to the metal, you can't see the truck of what ever in front of you, you follow the trail of dirt flying up in front of you. you didn't stop for anything / anyone who was hit: it was crazy stuff, took me a couple of years plus to adjust to what driving on cities streets and roads.........I was always getting pulled over for some odd rule of law I never heard of... that was more than 50 years ago. I'm an old man now, we avoid being on the streets after 3:30 4.. We left a small town in CA, moved twice, any more today, way to many people, so we moved to the high desert eastern WA over 10 years ago, we been coming here for 20 years to visit family. mover here, retired, it was great no traffic, at night they rolled up the streets, not any more, just like CA the way people been flooding in to here, We were on the out skirts of the town now the commercial is being built up around us. go to church, know the word of GOD, repent. get saved. amen

[@ellentuton7642]

Need some more T men! With yellow paint ball guns!

[@rickym940]

Now we just have homeless people & gangsters downtown! I think traffic is a tiny problem compared to now!

[@amynguy]

Yea I was really surprised, this looked like newyork.

[@ALSILVERU2]

The Arlington Frisco Tx Boys suck! #2022

[@jtc9098]

@@amynguy I think the vibe in Dallas was like that at one point in time.

[@patrickmccarron5059]

1:13 Triple Overpass where JFK be assassinated in near future

[@Spillers72]

Well that's the city the CIA picked to assassinate JFK

[@patrickmccarron5059]

@@Spillers72 , a communist killed JFK, not the C.I.A.

[@dreamingrightnow1174]

15:29

[@stevengallant6363]

Isn't that where the CIA murdered JFK?

[@gmarkpapo8023]

It’s way better now…

[@sabrinashelton1997]

lol, yeah. sure thing.

[@CR1T1KaL714]

lmao yeah ok