The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-26
PEOPLES FORUM
Against Parking First Avenu

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 In behalf of hundreds, yes thou sands, of the citizens of the city of Birmingham east of Forty First street, and in behalf especial ly of the committee who are now and have been for some time la boring in the interest of the pub lie, permit the writer to thank you for the two editorials appear ing in The Age Herald, one this morning. and the other few days ago. This is one of the most important matters that has con fronted the public at large for q long time. The more you think of it, the necessity becom es~ more apparent. First avenue, the east ern part of it, is the receptacle, so to speak, into which flows every vehicle entering Birming- ham from that part of the coun- try, and it goes without saying that everything from the north and east must enter Birmingham upon and through first avenue.
 
 First avenue now is inadequate for the street cars, public, trains and buggies, etc. If it is inade- quate now, what will it be in a few years? It is going to be ab- solutely necessary that other ave- nues leading to the eastern sec tion will be required to be opened to the public In order to accommo- date the travelling public. If this be true, then the idea of parking any portion of First avenue is ab- solutely repugnant to the one who will think of the present compared with the past and then venture only few years in the future.
 Permit the writer to call your attention to the inconsistency of the following that has been on sew eral occasions submitted to the public: There is now in progress movement to obtain a wider right of way from Forty First to Forty Eight streets; the same movement is on foot to also ob- tain a wide right of way from Fifty Second to Fifty Sixth streets. At the same time there is also a movement equally as &C., tive to make First avenue from Fifty Sixth street out as narrow as First avenue is now between Forty First to Forty Eight streets and between Fifty-Second and Fifty-Si streets. In other words, where the street is now as narrow as they want to make First avenue in other places, they are attempting to expend money | to widen it to the width of First avenue beyond Fifty-Sixth street and at the same time they are ex- pending money to narrow Fifty Sixth street to the width of First avenue now as in other places.
 We know, Mir. Editor, that the streets of Birmingham belong to the public. First avenue is one of | them. We know that no one dare obstruct any public street. We know full well that the humblest citizen of this city has equal rights with the highest and the richest | to the use of the street-all of 1t, and that no person, natural or ar | tificial, has a right to a monopoly of any part of any public street.
 It may be beneficial, and per- haps is to the Birmingham Rail- way, Light and Power Company, l to park certain parts of First ave- nue. But, inasmuch as the rights of this company must yield to the rights of the public, where the public demands it; if this private right. so beneficial to the Bir- mingham Railway, Light and Power Company is detrimental to the public at large, then it must yield to the public.
 We sincerely hope that 1t will 1 sooner or later be the unanimous voice of the press of this city to champion the cause of First ave- nue, to keep it wide open, pave from curb to curb, and that it will In time, not far off, be as easily travelled as any of the well-regu- lated streets of this city or any other. We trust that you will keep up the fight from time to time, for well do we realizze that there is nothing that can go to the entire people and that has the influence with the public, as the press, and when we have the press on our side. the side of jus