The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-11
What Are We Going to Do.
About Parking?
By BILL PRICE.

The District traffic board the District Commissioners raf
c experts and policemen and lots of other people be-
section of Washington Suggestions theories and ideas are
flying thick and fast and out OF it may come something really
helpful
Up to the present time however nothing that practical
has been offered and until something that will work evolved
the District authorities had better play the familiar old game
of 'watchful waiting.
That Of converting space of our beautiful
public parks into public parking stations was wild one that
died quickly.
Talk of municipal garages sounds all right but Congress
is opposed to all governmental ownership control in CON-
petition with private business and would appropriate
money for such despite the fact that there is no in
dcation that private money will undertake to build such
garages in Washington If private money does 20 into this
business the charges will be heavy that their will be-
beyond the reach of the vast majority of automobile
Business Of Washington feel keeny the of space
IN front of their establishments by aday parker inter
fering with the rghfu transaction Of business by customers
The ideal thing would be for the business section of Wash
ngon to be free to uninterrupted business intercourse with
the general public but how to accomplish that without in
justice and Inconvenience is huge problem
There are seemingly just three things to be DONE after
Abolish all parking in the congesed part of the city
Do away with all parking regulations and let there be al
freefor-all parking marathon.
8 Enforce the existing regulations
In city with the wide and beautiful streets of Washington
It does not necessary to follow the practices followed
in New York. Psburg, and elsewhere where the streets
that parking must be done away with in
Abolition of parking altogether would that business
and their employees would have to park their far
away from their places of business would that the
rich woman with chauffeur could under the regu
laton keep standing the noparng section for long
periods long the chauffeur remained in the and
could tell policeman that the Of the attend
ing to business.
On the other hand the citizen unable employ chauffeur
would dare leave his unattended while he she went
business errands. The effect would be to shift much
business from downtown to small business establishments in
outlying sections of the city
Doing away with all parking regulations would virtually
suit in chaos and the cloggg Of business streets to the
detriment Of business and the general public.
The only remaining thing to do in the light of present
conditions to maintain existing regulations and enforce
them not in petty officious but in spirit of
liberation Of the rights of the public to the
streets and to attend to business without too much police
restriction.
To enforce existing regulations however it will be alb
solute to increase the police force that the
number of men assigned to the parking problem
without negectng the important traffic laws. Whether
Congress will authorize police force large enough cope
with all the things to be handled is another matter.
The main difficulty today in aday parking in congested
sections where supposed to remain for limited periods
only Many classes people bring their close to their
place of employment possible park them $50 in the
morning and there they remain for the day.
Policemen assigned to enforce the parking regulations leave
cards the of the aday prkers notifying them to
appear at police stations but these cards practically
less and frequently dregarded-looked upon
scraps of paper The only way policemen successfully
prosecute the aday parker take him in the getting
into his Then his identity established in police
the aday parker found that his dSobedience of the
law costing him considerable money police fines
he would be compelled to make other arrangements thus
leaving parking space for those obeying the law.
It should not be forgotten though, that many
engaged in crcisg the police to failure to enforce the
parking regulations would himself become entangled in the
police nets If the law is enforced to the letter He is the
fellow who doesn't want somebody ees machine parked in
front of his door, but his machine the
parked in front of somebody else's establishment.
1t is absolutely impossible to enforce limited parking with
out plenty of policemen to do it.