Evening star., 1928-05-06
PARKING PROBLEM CONFR ONTS
CENTERS OF TRADE IN CITIES
Commercial Activity in Communities
Hampercd by Conditions for Which
There Apparently Is No Remedy.

good regulations have their limitations,
the report says.
The report starts of on the premise
that trade Is essential to a city; that
trafic-including movement and STOP
ping-is essential to trade and that the
task, therefore, Is to find means Of
meeting adequately the trafic needs Of
trade. It assumes, In so far as business
itself is concerned, that traff1c ts an
important item in operating costs and
that business will move 70 locations
where the net cost Of operation may
be lowered. The element Of pedestrian
trade also enters into the calculations
at this point and then, linked right
along. comes the issue Of prime i'm
portance-tfe customers convenience
and preference. To disregard these, 10
has been found. Is to take chance on
losing the customers trade 10 COM
petitor. Onerous restrictions in one
district may result in discrimination In
favor Of another. or. to carry out the
argument further, may hurt town Il
there is another Of equal size nearby.
Chicago Experiment Cited.
The total prohibition Of parking In
the Loop district Of Chicago, according
to the report, did not work a hard
ship on those in business there for the
simple reason that their principal
source Of revenue Is from out-of-town
customers and reaches huge propor-
tons, while previous to the no-parking
order parking congestion had reached
such a stage that only Isl per cent
OF the shoppers parked at the curb.
with the rest of the automobile trade
presumably driven to local market cen
ters In the outlying districts
On the contrary, when similar ban
was applied in Los Angeles, the down.
town area, TO quote the report. became
graveyard and the experiment was
terminated without ceremony.
This affords one proof Of the impos-
sibility of applying uniform regulations
where conditions are so dissinilar
Again. method employed in Phila-
delphia Is discussed: The providing of
automobile storage outside the con-
gested area by transit company. which
then furnishes transportation down.
town. But. the report points out, the
motoriSt prefers to 60 to his or her
destination without a transfer and Il
going to head in the direction where
the least trouble may be encountered.
Business Sub -Centers Described.
Witness the growing business sub
/ centers, the erection Of office buildings
| for physicians and dentists outside the
1 congeSted area, the establishment Of
| branch banks and luxury shops far
away from the heart Of the city. the re-
| moval Of insurance companies and pub
| fishing houses to suburban locations"
/ the report says, adding significantly:
| "All these developments are Of con-
| Germ to downtown business interests, for
| they mean not only that a certain VOL
| time OF trade is diverted from the down.
| town section. but that the character Of
/ the downtown section is changed Re-
| move the bulk of trade in household
/ staples to outlying Sub-centers, and the
remaining downtown shops tend TO Spe-
| cialize in quality goods, to cater to
/ specialized clientele. Their ordinary
/ trade is more and more dependent upon
/ those who come downtown for reasons
/ other than shopping, as upon employees
In other downtown businesses
/ In just about the same category as
the Philadelphia method is that en-
ployed by the retailers of several cities
who furnish free bus service from the
perlmeter OF the congeSted district or
tree driver service TO day storage. Short
comiIlgs of these methods. as pointed
out, are that the bus rider, deposited st
the door OF the store furnishing convey
ance may walk through and out--a dead
loss 70 the establishment. and the Gus
/ toner getting free driver service, may
/ become irked at delay and thus nullify
the intent of the plan-good will
Real Issues Discussed.
Getting down to the question OF
actually providing parking space. the
chambers study. emphasizing that
there never would be suficient room
70 meet all the demands that would
be made upon IL, says IL must be al.
located TO the best possible advantage.
with particular attention given 60 the
free movement of trafic through the
lane OF parked cars. No preference
IS shown as between the controversial
parallel and angle parking. but in the
case OF the latter. il Is pointed out that
claims Of its advantages are baseleSS
unless the street is OF respectable
width
AS for time limits, it Is said that
while lots of data has been furnished.
most of Il is inconclusivs. aud before
any limit Is applied. earnest study
should be made
Side-loa6ing OF trucks and of street
parking for trucks. delivery cars and
even customers automobiles is Sur-
geSted as space saver. and the utilira-
ton for parking OF such waste spaces
as vacant lots, areas under viadsctS,
block interiors and light courts In the
tContinued on Sixth Page.l