Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-03-09
Parking Meters Suruiue Fights
In % of 81 american Cities
(Story on Page ALL

After an 87-day trial Hagerstown
(Md) officials were reported unan-
imous in their approval of parking
meters
Mayor Lee Elgin said the meters
have solved his towns parking prob
lem. Their 9O-day trial period ends
Friday, and they will become per-
manent part of the city's equipment.
he announced. At present there are
ia meters in the city and plans
are being considered to install more
The Mayor said the Hagerstown
Chamber Of Commerce also has in
dorsed the meters, merchants having
found they have larger turnover of
customers since they were installed.
Purchases Speeded.
Customers, they aver, decide on pur-
chases quicker Furthermore, with the
curling marked out in 21-foOt spaces,
more cars can be parked per block
than under the meterless system, when
one car was often parked in such a
way as to take up the space of two.
A feature of the Hagerstown meters
which officials there regard as highly
desirable is the privilege of parking -
minutes for l cent. The charge per
hour is 5 cents and it is against the
law to park more than an hour in the
meter zone. During the first SO days
of the meters operation the city coll
lected s2,798. Half of the receipts go
to the meter company until the devices
are paid for.
In Cumberland, Md. 1913 meters
brought in about $4,000 in SO weeks.
In Meadville, Pa, 1T meters are
bringing in sl7O a week
In Ell Paso. Tex, 500 meters pro-
duced $4,000 in 1887
In Oklahoma City the take from
SIS meters is $4,000 a month
In st. Petersburg, Fla, where the
average meter brings in 80 cents a
day when it is "desirably located"
total receipts for 18 months amounted
to $12,345.6O
In Miami. Fla, 686 meters yield an
average each of so cents a day.
In San Antonio, Tex. the receipts
from 1900 meters from August 81,
1886, to June Is, 1887, was SlO3.-
54l.90. These figures were collected
by the A. A. A.
In almost every instance the funds
above the money needed to install and
operate the meters is spent on general
traffic control
The Massachusetts, Supreme Court
ruled that cities could install parking
meters but added that "a municipality
cannot be authorized to turn this plan
OF using parking meters into a business
OF profit over and above the expense
involved in proper regulation"
Held Symptom of Disease"
AS for longtime parking, a recent
survey in Los Angeles showed that in
45-minute parking zone, the average
car stayed only 3l.3 minutes. Parking.
according to the A. A. A.. is Chronic
allment' which the parking meter
doesn't cure. The meters use, &C
cordlng to the automobile association,
4' a SyAiptOlIi Vi q dangerous anu
deep rooted disease. namely the lack
of terminal facilities for automobiles
in practically all large American
cities"
The cities which operate the meters,
aside from those already mentioned,
include Bakersfield. Calf, 200 meters;
Long Beach, Calf, 400; Clearwater,
Fla. IS; Macon, Ga, 1874; Kansas
City, Mo, 1895: Passaic. N. j., $50;
Toledo, Ohio, 1000; Ponca City, Okla,
80; Sharon, Pa, l00 Wilkes-Ba
Pa, 200; Providence, r. l., ESQ; Knox
vile. Tenn. 200: Corpus Christi, Tex,
48l; Dallas. Tex, 1900; Fort Worth,
Tex, $50; Houston, Tex, 2,O75; Waco,
Tex. 500; Wichita Falls, Tex, 429;
Norfolk Va, $50 Wilmington, Del,
and Huntington w. Va, $50.