Evening star., 1915-01-25
BUSINESS MEN OPPOSE
! NEW RULE FOR AUTOS
Severely Criticise Order Prohibiting
Parking on G Street Between
18th and 18th Streets.
Objection Is Also Raised to Cars Be-
ing Allowed to Remain Only Fif-
teen Minutes in One Place.

! Opposition to the recent addition Of 6
street northwest between 18th and 14th
| streets to the list Of downtown thor
oughfares on which the parking OF
| vehicles is prohibited was voiced today
by number Of business men OF Wash
| ington whose Offices are in the vicinity
Of the corner Of 18th and G streets.
Not only was this particular addition
| criticised. but flaws were found in the
general scheme under which for the
past two or three months 14th street
for a certain distance from F street
| northward has been made a region
| where vehicles may not remain in ono
spot for more than fifteen minutes
There seems to be a unanimity Of
opinion that the fifteen minutes allowed
by law in which a vehicle may occupy
a time to permit Of doing business
properly, and is a hardship both to
proprietor and customer alike.
Tenants in the Colorado building Will
ruling, in so far as their own cars are
concerned. according to T. A. Wicker
sham, who represents the owners OF
that building.
it stands Is being prepared by him as
parking place for such tenants
Washington should not, however, he
said, have traffic laws such as are
needed in New York with its vastly
greater population. narrower streets
and traff1c in proportion to that popu-
lation very many times greater than
that of the National Capital
"A ruling like the new one." said Mr..
Wickersham. Undoubtedly hurts all
forms of business situated along the
street, and fifteen minutes is entirely
insufficient for the average business
| transaction"
New Rule Reaches Other Extreme.
THE old conditions under which We
hicles remained indefinitely in one
place, with often a consequent tncon-
venience to new arrivals. were bad
enough. but the new ruling goes to the
other extreme and makes matters even
worse" This Is the way Sidney West.
|clothier, whose place of business oc-
cupies the northeast corner Of 14th
| and G. summed the matter up.
1T tends to make this particular To-
cality look dead" continued Mr.. West.
'and that hurts trade. One knows
from ones own experience in strange
some shopping naturally inclines to
those streets and corners which ap-
pear bustling and alive. and would be
almost completely misled by this new
ruling into thinking that what is
reslly one Of the busiest sections in
the city is deserted and unattractive
place."
Robert N. Harper. president Of the
District National Bank, stated that
while neither he nor those associated
new plan, business men generally did,
and that what affects them quickly af-
fects the banking business.
From my observation" he said, 1T
10 tor h0v
power Of successful contradiction that
a time allowance of but fifteen minutes
is too small for any practical use. To
cite a by no means extreme instance,
practically the same time to see the
president Of a financial institution.
One Is shown in and, perhaps, con-
cludes his business in quarter OF an
hour. The other. at the expiration of
| that time, has not even seen the person
he came to see. but his car has to be
moved just the same
John Poole. president of the Federal
National Bank, declared that the addi-
tion of the new block to the territory
coming under the ruling. will not par
ticularly interfere with the institution
he represents, but that the previous ap-
plication of the rule to 14th street un-
doubtedly does.
Mr.. Poole thinks that it's greatest
fault Is the insufficiency of time for
which a vehicle is permitted to occupy
one place.
Hurts Trade, He Says.
That the new rule has already de-
cidedly interfered with his business IL
the contention Of John B. Newman, to-
bacconist. 719 14th street. TT has hurt
trade all along the street." he said. for
while some few automobiles remained
parked all day long and proved to be
in the way, the majority OF them.
especially those belonging to real es-
tate men, came and went every hour or
two. Now their owners must park
them a number Of blocks away. and
their custom naturally goes elsewhere.
Fifteen minutes is entirely too short:
often cannot get my delivery We
hicle loaded for q trip in that brief
time"
Morton Luchs. OF the real estate firm
Of Shannon & Luchs agreed that the time
limit is 20 brief as to render the ruling
most inconvenient to all concerned.
"A petition of remonstrance was drawn
up in this Office" said Mr.. Luchs. signed
the District Commissioners. So far they
have not even acknowledged it,
Various men interviewed recommend
ed varying time limits as necessary
to make the new ruling q proper meas
ure, but all were unanimous in de-
claring that a quarter OF an hour is
entirely insufficient. AS one man ex-
pressed 1t, about all you can do in that
time Is to get a shave. provided you are
next But you cannot consummate
real estate or financial deal. or pick
A~