Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-15
NEW PARKING
AREA PLANNED
BY CONFEREES
Council Members and City Of
ficials Outline Provisions
for New Traffic Code.
URGE METERS ON TAXIS


centers Of Kentucky avenue from Wash
ington street to Capitol avenue, and Mar
ket street from Pennsylvania to Della
ware streets, If an agreement reached
at a conference of three members of the
city council with other city officials last
night. is put into the new traffic code
and passed by the council.
The conference sat to consider changes
In the traffic code proposed by the board
of pdblic safety in an ordinance intro
duced Feb. T. The ordinance as orig
inally presented provided for fat park
ing only in Capitol avenue, Meridian,
Illinois and Washington streets from
Washington to New York streets. and in
all north and south streets in the con-
gested district south of Georgia street.
This left angle parking in Washington,
Maryland, Georgia, Market and Ohio
streets, these being the principal east
and west highways in the cOngested dis
trict
Councilman Jesse E. Miller raised the
point that If fat parking were to be es-
tablished at all it ought to be in force In
Ohio street because of its rarrOwness and
the large number of street cars and in
terurbans which are operated over Ii.
President Russell Wilson of the council
and Councilman Jacob ?. Brown, chair
man of the special committee of traffic,
in whose hands the ordinance now lies,
agreed with MT. Miller, as did the other
officials. Other members of the council
were not present, although the meeting
was to have been a gathering Of the coun-
Gil as a whole.
AGREE To DAY
AND NIGHT ZONE.
Felix NJ. McWhirter, member Of the
board of public safety, in arguing for
fat parking both day and night. which
finally was agreed upon, pointed out that
fire apparatus sometimes is delayed in
the narrow streets because automobiles
parked at an angle where street cars are
passing take UP so much space that the
fire trucks cannot get through. He said
that such an incident occurred not more
than two weeks ago in Pennsylvania
street, between Market and Ohio streets.
Some of those in the conference OBJ
jected for a time 10 fat parking being
IN force after 8 o'clock in the evening,
asserting that the theater crowds would
be Inconvenience because fewer cars can
park fat to the curb than at an angle.
Mr. McWhirter asserted that theater
patrons ought not expect TO park in
front of theaters. He said that in New
York parking is prohibited anywhere in
a theater block on the side of the street
in which the playhouse is located and
apolis as it would make it possible for
cars to he driven up TO the theater to be
loaded and then moved rapidly away.
The only other traffic matter upon
with discussion Of any length took place
was the addition of a provision to the
ordinance which would req lire all taxi
cabs to be equipped with taximeters
METERS TO CURB
TAXI "HOLD-UPS."
Councilman Miller said that there is
nothing that gives the city a black eye
with stranger quicker than the fact
that he comes into Indianapolis and gets
robbed by the taxi drivers"
1t was generally admitted that since
the city has an ordinance fixing the
rates which taxicab operators may charge
that there ought to be some provision re-
curing the use of distance measuring
devices.
Mr.. McWhirter said that at least three
OF the taxi companies. to his know Wedge,
have installed taximeters.
President Wilson said that attempts
were made for two years at the begin
ming Of the present city administration
to get through the council an ordinance
requiring taximeters, but that IL had
failed Of passage because Of the sym
patty OF certain councilmen with the
taxi men who said they could not bny
such devices, but had to lease them at a
high price from a company holding pat
ents.
It was not definitely decided to incor-
porate the taximeter provision in the
ordinance.
The other new provisions Of the ordi-
nance, which include such important
changes as the extension of the south
boundary of the cOngested district from
Georgia street to South street and the
creation of several new places in which
parking would be prohibited were dis
cussed ia detail and approved.
Councilman Brown stated that he viii
report the ordinance out OF committee at
the regular council meeting next Monday
evening.
ANTI-ADMINISTRAT
SUPPORT NEEDED.
Since none OF the anti-administrstion
councilmen were present at the confer
ence the administration members were
inclined to believe that the ordinance
will have some opposition when It is put
to vote. II the four "antis" decide to
vote against the measure they could kill
it, for with Councilman .. B. Pettitohn
in a hospital with a serious Illness the
administration can muster only four
votes.
Corporation Counsel Samuel Ashby,
City Civil Engineer Frank c. Lingenfelter
and John L. Elliott. assistant city civil
engineer In charge of track elevation.
laid before the three council members
the facts surrounding the request Of the
indianapolis Union Railway that its track
elevation contract be modified so that
financial settlements for work done be
made by the city on a monthly basis.
The city, after deducting what the rail
road owes 1t for work done on track
elevation owes the railroad approx
mately S22S,000, which the railroad says
1t must have in order to go ahead with
its share Of the elevation. The contract
at present provides for a settlement when
the elevation project is completed, which
may be months or even years from now.
In order to make this payment it would
be necessary for the city to issue bonds,
which would require the consent Of the
council
Meanwhile it is said the whole track
elevation work depends upon the l. U.
going ahead.
Mr.. Ashby viii confer with the mem
bers Of the council who were absent be-
fore submitting the bond issue proposal
to the council, it is understood.
Irish Relief Reports
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