The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-11
Traffic Ordinance Whipped
Into Shape by the City
Commissioners
20 MINUTES LIMIT
TO PARKING TIME
Places Will Be Selected in Downtown
District Where Machines May Be
Left ndefinitely-Much OPP
position Is Expected

an agreement on the traffic ana autOino-
bile ordinance. but it was stated that none
of the other matters pending before the
commission for the past few weeks had
been agreed upon. The traffic ordinance
will now be passed at the regular meet
ing of the commission today.
The traffic ordinance was drafted by
Assistant City Attorney Joe Mudd and
as amended by the commissioners In the
conference yesterday 1t is considered one
of the most important new ordinances In
troduced before the commission In some
time. 1t regulates the speed and route
of all forms of vehicles in the city limits.
places drastic restrictions upon the noises
from automobile horns, sirens and chimes
and finally places a 20 minute limit on
parking an automobile in the downtown
district.
Opposition Expected
Much opposition is expected to develop
to this last mentioned feature of the or
dinance, but the commissioners appear to
be thoroughly decided upon 1t, and they
are not only going to make 1t law, but
they state they are going to see that 1t is
enforced to the letter by the police force
After the ordinance is passed no automo-
bile will be allowed to be parked in any
part of the downtown district except GER
tain places yet to be provided for more
than 20 minutes without the owner or op-
orator being liable to arrest
The commissioners are now seriously
considering the matter of where the ma
chimes can be parked. Several places
have been suggested and discussed, but
1t appears to be probable that Capitol
park will be decided upon The machines
would not be parked In the park, but
along the streets on the four sides of the
square. where hundreds of them could be
placed every day. It has been suggested
that little building could be erected at
the park with telephone In it which
could be used by all persons having cars
TO inform their ehauffers that they were
ready to leave the office. For those who
do not employ ohauffers and who desire
to let car stand more than 20 minutes
1t is stated that Capitol park is not SO
far from the center of the business dis
trict and the big office buildings but
what the distance could be walked in a
minute or two.
Other places have been suggested among
them First avenue below Seventeenth
street and the end of Nineteenth street
that terminates at the Louisville and
Nashville station and others 1t is stated
that certain space will probably be al
lotted at each of the two railroad stations
for the parking of vehicles
Other cities have these regulations and
m nv Of 49,
than ours" said City Commissioner
Weatherly yesterday. I'm New York they
won't let you stop at all except to dis
charge or take on passengers. or course.
were not as big as New York-yet-but
nevertheless we must have some limit.
Weatherly on Automobiles
This whole matter is an outgrowth of
the advent of the automobile. We never
had any use for such law before there
were automobiles. BY common consent a.
man came down to his office in those days
and his horse or OK or whatever he drove
wasn't left standing in front of the place
all day. But with the automobile has
come new conditions. don't know what
1t is, but they appear to have brought
with them sort of sovereignty all their
own Whether it is the arrogance of the
wealth that owns them or what is NOT for
me to say but nevertheless they appear
to think they can go when they please
come when they please, stop when they
please and stay where they please. Well
thy can't do it in birmingham
Besides. I'll tell you this matter of
parking automobiles along certain streets
is building up sort of discrimination
against certain merchants and for others
Twentieth street and First avenue are
wide. and there the cars are parked. You,
can't park car Second avenue be-
cause it's too narrow. For that reason
people favor Second avenue to shop he
cause the street is so narrow that all a
ear can do Is to drive up leave the pas
sengers out and go on. This way with
the cars parked on Twentieth street and
First avenue. 1t is to the disadvantage of
the merchants along those streets
we will decide In the near future where
they shall be parked. We have already
decided where they shall not"
Both Mr.. Exum and Judge Lane are
as favorable to the ordinance as Mr.
Weatherly. The other features of the new
law In regard 10 the restrictions on
noises of horns and motorcycle whistles
and so forth, have already been explained
in The Age-Herald. II provides that only
an ordinary bulb horn can be used on an
automobile. and that mufflers must be
used at all times on automobiles and mo-
torcycle engines.