Evening star., 1935-10-26
The Parking Problem.

If Major Pierre L'Enfant could have
foreseen the motor car when he laid
out the American Capital city, he would
perhaps-indeed probably-have planned
for the daily keeping of the individual
cars in the downtown section. But Major
transport facilities of century and
half beyond his period. He did not fore
see a Washington of the size in popula-
ton or indeed in area of today. He did
not, nor did any of those engaged at the
time in the organization and establish
ment of the Federal administration, fore
see the development of a Government of
ten executive departments and scores
of bureaus and peace-time personnel
Of administration of more than a hun
dred thousand, in Washington alone.
Had Major LEnfant foreseen the
motor car, almost a century before it
came in its first crude form, and the great
enlargement of the Federal organization
at the Capital, he might have done some
thing about the parking necessities Of the
army of Government workers. He might
have laid out large areas on his map
marked Reserved for future parking
purposes" although there would have
been much puzzlement over what he
meant by the word parking" He might
have anticipated the coinage in his native
language of the word garage" and
designated spaces for buildings of that
character, as public utilities.
But Major LEnfant foresaw none of
these things, and consequently the
Washington which he planned made no
provision for the twice e-daily storage of
the individual transport machines of the
people, near the homes at night and
near the places of business during the
day. Thus the problem came upon the
community and the Government in later
years without basic anticipation. 1t
grew into a problem, in fact, with the
community and the Government almost
unawares. Now it is a serious one indeed
and no one can tell the solution.
The gravity of the question has been
most lately stressed by the outcome of
a meeting of the American Federation
OF Government Employees, at which a
resolution was adopted demanding the
provision of free parking facilities for
all residents OF the District. No attempt
was made in the formulation of this de-
mand 10 solve the incidental but highly
important problem of how this large
scale-parking facility should be financed
The proponents of the resolution pointed
out that free parking is provided for
certain specially favored officials, and
this accommodation, without cost to the
consumer, should be extended to all re-
gardless OF rank.
What pity that the founders of the
Capital did not plan it on larger scale!
What pity that they could not have
foreseen the motor car and its general,
almost universal, use! How much it is
to be regretted that they did not antici-
pate the traffic congestion perils and
make the streets of the Capital even
wider and straighter! But, as for that
matter, how unfortunate it is that the
city fathers of only a very few decades ago
did not. with the approval of the all
powerful Congress, rule firmly and
irrevocably that the streets should not
be used for what have come to be called
garages, a word that originally meant
railroad siding! Had these things been
there would not today be such grievous
problem as that of trying to get hun
dred thousand and more motor cars into
the space that is suitable for only about
q quarter of that number.