Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-07
HOLIDAY PARKING
BAN is PROTESTED
Merchants Oppose Bureau
Plan to Clear F and G SITS.
for Nine Days.


District Trafic Council that parking be
prohibited in congested sections Of the
downtown shopping area during the
nine-day interval just before Christ
mas.
The recommendation, proposed by In
Spector Ernest w. Brown Of the Traffic
Bureau and Endorsed by Trafic Director
William H. Harland, provides specifically
for the abolition of all parking from 8
am. to pm. on F and G streets be-
tween Ninth and Fifteenth streets from
December Is to "a. The District Com
missioners are expected to take final
action on the proposal at Tuesdays
board meeting.
Business men contend that the park
ing ban, instead of stimulating trade
by relieving congestion, would in fact
have a depressing effect on business
because patrons will not come to the
stores II they are not permitted to
park their automobiles in the vicinity.
Think Plan Unjust.
Many merchants on F and @ streets
feel the only result of prohibiting park
ing there would be to drive shoppers
to stores on streets where one-hour
parking will be permitted, causing
severe financial loss and working a
grave injustice to business houses in
the restricted area.
The majority Of the protests were
through the Board of Trade and the
Merchants and Manufacturers Asso-
citation.
The former body had received APP
proximately q score Of vigorous protests
at 10 o'clock this morning and was
preparing q statement calling upon the
Commissioners to deny the councils
recommendation.
After a poll of the business houses in
the affected area had revealed the great
majority of the merchants opposed to
the ban at this time, Maj. Gen. Anton
Stephan, president of the Merchants
and Manufacturers, sent the following
letter to the Commissioners:
Letter to Commissioners.
at has come to our attention that
the Police Department has proposed to
eliminate all parking on F and @ streets
northwest, between Ninth and Fifteenth
streets during the ten days to two weeks
prior to Christmas. The Merchants and
Manufacturers Association has sent to
all merchants located along these streets
and on the intersecting streets within
one block Of each of r and G streets,
a QUESTIONABLE asking the following
questions:
II. Do you favor eliminating all park
ing on and G streets northwest be-
tween Ninth and Fifteenth streets for
two weeks prior to Christmas?
20. Do you favor permanent eliminate
| ing parking on these streets?
80. Would such a ban adversely AFFECT
business?
"of the total Of "a replies received in
this poll, SO are absolutely opposed to
the elimination Of the one hour parking
permitted on these streets during the
Christmas season, and but favored
trying this plan. Three did not answer
this question.
Plan Opposed.
"As it has been reported that this
parking ban might become permanent
| IL tried for the Christmas season, the
merchants were asked whether they
| favored the elimination of parking on
these downtown streets permanently, to
which SCR 90 per cent of the mer-
chants answering-replied that they
were opposed to such a ban. Asked
whether such ban would affect busi-
ness adversely, 81 merchants replied
that they felt that the elimination Of
parking would hurt business while only
felt that it would not affect it.
las these missionaries were an
| swered by the leading downtown mer-
chants Of Washington, 1t is very clear
that an overwhelming majority feel
that the one-hour parking should be
continued permanently with no ban
| during the Christmas season, and, that
such q ban would seriously affect bust
ness.
1T has been suggested by some that
the solution Of the trafic problem can
be found by eliminating taxicab cruiS-
| ing on F and @ streets. and that some
Of the loading platforms be eliminated.
It is felt that the lengthening of some
of the platforms. together with the in
stallation of trafnc lights at the inter-
| sections of p street at Tenth and Thir-
tenth streets has greatly increased the
congestion on this street.
Want Limit Enforced.
1.-THE merchants also feel that If the
present one-hour parking limit was en-
forced on these streets 1t would
give a greater number an opportunity to
park their cars while doing business in
this section.
Many of the merchants are strongly
OF the opinion that IL parking was elm
mated on these important business
streets much business would be
driven to other sections of the city, and
would thus work hardship upon these
merchants, who are now among our
highest taxpayers and would be an I'M
just discrimination.
we, therefore, trust that you will
give serious consideration to the opin-
ions Of Washington's downtown rner-
chants in such a matter, which so seri-
ouSly affects not only their welfare. but
the thousands of observation-disclosures who
90 business in the central section OF
the city"
Trade Board Statement.
e. ]. Murphy president of the Board
OF Trade, issued the following state
ment:
THE Washington Board of Trade
feels that this is q particularly inonnor-
tune time for the traffic authorities to
effect any experiment in parking on r
and G streets, and would only be most
disturbing to the merchants on these
thoroughfareS now that they are in the
midst OF the Christmas shopping sea-
son.
THE Board Of Trade, as a whole. has
not had an opportunity to act on this
proposal and in my opinion IL would
certainly be necessary for the Trafffc
Bureau to confer with the merchants of
these two thoroughfares. where is con-
centrated large part of WaShington's
prosperity. This is q very serious mat
ter and everybody concerned should be
given an opportunity to express them
selves"
| / 1MORE WEEKS
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