Evening star., 1934-04-27
Parking Bans and
Private Car Owners

40 inc GultOT VI lHe pLhE'
Our traffic officials see where they
can put one over on Mr.. Average
Motorist by putting it up to the clti-
zens' associations to decide II all-night
parking should be abolished. 1t cer-
tainly seems that a recent poll by
one of our automobile associations
showed that the majority Of Wash
ington motorists were not In favor Of
such a drastic restriction.
Why ask the citizens associations
to be the deciding factor in this i'm
portant question? Do they repre-
sent t,e majority of auto owners in
the District?
WI si,i, :. n is a city of large apart
r1ents a.: large number of our
resident, u. ling their homes in such
dwell.rs. and very few of these
ap -tgrfI4.- n our fair city have &C
CO. ,os Us or garage facilities.
Their ., to enforce a parking ban
as PIT l,Jsed by our traffic department
will compel many motorists to seek
garages from private dwellings or to
go many blocks away from their
homes to public garages. 1t is GER
tainly a possibility that many persons
living in private dwellings have cars
of their own, and this source will not
prove adequate to house the cars of
those prospective unfortunates who
live in apartments.
1t seems that our traffic officials
do not realize that the average motor
ist contributes quite goodly sum in
the city's tax funds in permit, license.
gas tax and personal property fees.
They do not seem to realize that a
continued harassing of the motorists
with regulation upon regulation, many
of an arbitrary nature, can only re-
suit in one thing, and that is a goodly
number OF us are going to be COM
PEELED to dispose of our cars.
The recent ban on certain down.
town streets and the resulting COM
plants from the merchants affected
in this district is a good example of
the lack of consideration of the pres
ent officials who handle our traffic
problems. These merchants have
stated that their business is suffering,
but though they pay large sums in
taxes to the municipality their pleas
fall on deaf ears. The average motor
ist certainly prefers to deal at down.
town store, but when a prohibitive
rule is invoked that a car cannot be
parked at any time it is a simple
| deduction that people are not going to
deal at downtown stores. We all are
willing to take a sporting chance on
! finding downtown parking place. but
when no odds are given it ceases to
be any necessity to try to find any
There can be no doubt to the ulti-
mate result which an all-pight park
ing ban is going to produce. Hundreds
of motorists, especially those who live
in apartments, are going to find their
cars will no longer be a convenience
and a business aid, but harassed
piece of personal property, to be
quickly disposed of.
Let us hope that true survey of
the situation can be enforced upon
our autocratic traffic officials. That
the situation can be studied and the
view points Of the majority of Wash
ington motorists obtained before such
drastic regulation is promulgated.
| There is no doubt that our traffic
officials are slyly avoiding the issue
at the present time by refusing the
motorists an opportunity to voice their
| opinions and giving the citizens as
| sociations the entire say in this i'm
portant problem.
CLARENCE z GEIGER