Evening star., 1921-12-22
The Parking Report.

committee to survey and report on
parking conditions in the District
have rendered a valuable service in
their thorough and thoughtful consid-
Grafton of this difficult subject. Taking
up the matter at the point where the
Commissioners left it. after endeavOr-
ing to frame corrective parking rules.
that were Immediately protested by
the people, this committee has pre-
sented a series of practical proposals
which may well form the basis of
action. They were asked by the Com
missioners not to touch upon matters
requiring legislation by Congress. but
they have. with propriety and wisdom,
included in their report certain propo-
sitions that will. to be made effective,
call for legislative action. For in
stance, they suggest the widening of
a number Of downtown streets to give
more room for the movement of the
traffic. This, of course. could not be
done save by Congress.
The parking problem is one of the
in Washington. With the great growth
of automobile use it has become a
most serious question to know what
to do with cars when they are halted
for any purpose. If they are parked
in the streets they lessen the space
available for traffic movement and for
the loaoing and unloading of machines
and business vehicles at the curb. Yet
there are no facilities to meet the
demanda for car storage downtown.
Regulation of parking OH the time
limit is difficult and calls for a large
force of inspectors. 1t is Il question
whether storage spaces can be pro-
vided by private enterprise at rates
tronage and yield a profitable revenue
on the investment. Such downtown
storage garages would be dependent
almost wholly upon daytime pat
ronage unless considerable repair and
maintenance work was done in con
nection with the storage of machines.
Taking all these considerations into
account, the citizens committee pro-
poses a one-hour parking limit, the
provision of open spaces at the end
of each block and in the middle of the
longer blocks for loading and unload
ing: reduction of the space between
parked vehicles, prohibition of parking
in front of certain classes of buildings
,f fha
gested area in somewhat less in
elusive terms than those of the Com
missioners' recently rescinded order.
Encoura cement of construction Of
downtown garages, at which cars can
be stored at daytime at low rentals. is
recommended. 1t is not plain, how
ever. just how this can be brought
about The business of garage build
ing will not be promoted unless there
is an assured patronage, and more
over. unless service is certain to be
rendered that will make it practicable
to take a machine into such place
quickly and to remove it quickly. In
short, there will be no garages unless
IEey can De Iidue W EdS' hiiu 'iieS
will not pay unless the public can be
assured Of quick access and reasona-
bic rates. If to the expense of main
tanning a machine is added material
will be likely to take his chances in the
streets. even if he has to park at a
distance from his place of business.
The Commissioners will find in this
report material for profitable consid-
Grafton, and the hope is that they
will be able therefrom to frame regu-
lations that will meet general approval
and perhaps suggestions for legisla-
ton that will help to solve this trou-
blesome problem.