Evening star., 1933-09-10
MOTORISTS SEEK
PARKING REPEAL
Majority Of. Drivers Believe
Most of Restrictions Are
Unnecessary.


want to park. They believe restrictions
on parking have gone way beyond all
possible need and they are demanding
the right to stop their cars as con-
veniently As they are permitted to
operate them In motion.
Seeing the steady recession IN the
number Of trafic signals and the peak
reached In the over-regulations IN traf.
nc, even those who have been the most
ardent prohibitionists Of parking con-
cede that the trend for the next few
years must inevitably be toward per-
mitsing the motorist to stop his car
nearer his objective.
Today's Trend Foreseen.
Edward s. Jordan, former motor car
manufacturer, predicted todays trend
when he declared in 1925 that pro
hibition Of parking will not 90 down
the throat of the American public.
He added that "a place to stop Tor
reasonable length 'of time Is just as
much an essential part Of motor travel
as the roadbed itself, and the public
will demand that right"
The repeal of parking prohibition Is
not merely a revolt on the part OF the
motoring public, however. Plans are
under way for making 1t possible TO
morrow every street will accommodate
at least one e-third more cars.
Just one of the developments that
will make this possible is the predicted
adoption of devices for parking cars In
limited space. Such a device was re-
Gently demonstrated in Detroit. The
driver merely heads into a space. sets
in motion a hydraulic lift that places
the rear of the car on the spare tire
wheel and swings the rear OF the car
around into the curbing. 1t is done IN
about the time it takes to tell 1t.
Present costs of such devices are
high. but it is reported that quantity
production cars could be equipped with
the larger machines the cost would run
around $3.50. Any car so equipped
would have a tremendous sales ap-
peal. in the opinion of those who have
tried the device.
Parking has been restricted on many
streets where it could in no way inter-
fere with traffic. One town has an
ordinance prohibiting parking within
Is feet of street corners. Trafnc Is so
light there would be no reasonable OBJ
lection to leaving the cars parked two
abreast all the way to the intersection
This regulation costs q local moving
picture house about SO spectators
day.
Special Privilege.
Bootleg parking has reached the
point where citizens Of many cities are
fayorinR q reduction to the very mini
mum in parking restrictions. Special
privilege is conspicuous everywhere. In
the downtown section Of one city that
has carried parking restrictions 10 the
limit as a concesson to the traction
company, there Is hardly foot OF curb
space that isn't used all day by per-
sons who should leave their cars IN
garages or on parking lots. Motorists
VINO Want to stop to transact business
are utterly unable to get within rea-
sonable walking distance OF their OBJ
jectives.
Where there is so much all-day park
ing by special privilege there Is little
or no encouragement for private en-
terprjse to establish modernized park
ing garages. Motordom is beginning to
recognize that the all-day parker is in
the same category with the slow-poke
driver. The man who leaves his car
all day in one spot is just as much OF
handicap to business as the fellow
who habitually runs out OF gas When
crossing busy intersection.
New methods improved cars and bet
ter driving are expected to result In
less slow parking" At present too
many people are taking too much time
finding space for their cars and placing
them correctly after finding them. One
reason for the present excessive re-
striction on parking is the frequent
blocking Of trafic when a driver tries
to park in the conventional way.
Greater Use Prohibited.
Many Developments point to greater
use Of the streets for parking. Streets
are being widened and business Is
spreading out. Fire hydrants are BE-
ing relocated It is getting to be too
costly to keep constant check on park
ing An increase in building will do
away with large percentage OF pres
ent building lot parking spaces. Mer-
chants are demanding that their Gus
toners be offered the convenience of
stopping nearer the stores.
In his 1926 report for the Trafnc
Planning and Safety Committee Of the
National Automobile Chamber of Com
merce, Mr.. Jordan added: The effort
Of various agencies to drive the auto
thusiasm with the American citizen
who knows that the automobile is his
best guarantee of freedom from re-
striction Of monopolized transportation.
There is an important place for trans
portation in public carriers. which do
an Efficient job: but with the dawn Of
the twentieth century individual man
for the first time came into possession
of his own satisfactory transportation
system and he does not propose to
have any group or interest throttle the
usefulness Of his automobile
The repeal Of parking prohibition
seems at hand. Help the authorities
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