Evening star., 1924-08-15
S,099 CARS PARK
|NCONGESTEDAREA
Actual Count in Downtown
District Shows Need of
More Policemen.
100 MORE NECESSARY
officials Believe Only Congress
Has Power to Pass I'm
pounding Law.
100 MORE NECESSARY

With only 20 men available to the
Traffic Bureau for enforcement of the
parking regulations, there are more
than 5000 machines parked daily in
the congested downtown section. ac-
cording to an actual count just made
by representatives of The Star.
Starting out in automobiles and
traversing every street within the
area bounded by Sixth, Eighteenth,
B and L streets, the tabulators found
5000 cars lined along the curbs be-
tween 1915 and HAS o'clock in the
morning.
Maj w. II. Holcombe, chairman of
the District Traffic Board, and In
spector Albert J. Headley, head of
the Traffic Bureau, both declared to-
day that these figures show clearly
the need for more policemen if the
present regulation limiting parking
to one hour in the congested district
is to be enforced.
In the opinion of Inspector Head
ley, the Traffic Bureau should have
100 additional privates, which would
allow for a substantial increase in
the parking enforcement detail and
enable the bureau to station officer:
at numerous busy intersections through.
out the city that now 60 unguardet
most of the time.
More Men Essential.
mo matter what steps are taken tt
provide space for the cars that now
stand all day on the streets, it is go.
ing to require more policemen tc
make it effective" the inspector said
Even if we secure an impoundine
law, empowering US to tow machines
to a police station, we must have
sufficient men, because we cannot i'm
pound a car until we know it has
overstayed the time limit"
In January of this year Maj. Hol
combe had District employees make &
count of parked autos, which re.
vealed a total Of 1864 standing a,
the curbs. The majors men, how.
ever, went as far east as Union Sta
ton, west to Twentieth street anc
from B street on the south to n
street on the north. An analysis oi
his figures reveals that in the sam.
area covered by The Star a few day.
ago the January count also was clos,
to 5000 cars. This is an indication
that during the last six months ther.
has not been an appreciable chang,
in the parking situation.
AI-Day Parking Decreased.
In discussing the situation today
Maj. Holcombe expressed the belief
that while there are as many ma
chimes parked within any period O,
the day now as there were in Janu
airy, he is of the opinion that ther,
are not as many now who leave ma
| chimes in one place from morning
until evening as there were si,
months ago.
He ascribes this belief to the fac
that the number of policemen de-
tailed to parking enforcement was in.
creased slightly a few months ago.
Maj. Holcombe added a new com
plication to an already complicated
problem today when he voiced the
belief that any step taken to provide
space for all-day parking downtown
is going to increase the number Of
cars in the congested area
II believe it Is logical to assume,
| said the major, that if you provid,
all-day parking space it will en-.
courage many persons who now leave
their cars at home to bring then
downtown every day"
If all-day parking establishment.
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column g.