Evening star., 1940-11-20
Officials CONSIDERING
Parking Cure for
Downtown Disease
Await Troffic Survey
Report Before Comment
On WhitnuII Plan

Washington officials responsible
for the cure Of downtown disease"
in Washington, were giving careful
consideration to possible solutions
advanced Monday night by Gordon
Whitnall, planning expert, at a
United States Chamber of Com
merce mass meeting.
Although they would not comment
on Mr.. Whitnalls prescription for
combating the disintegration and
decentralization brought on by lack
of terminal parking facilities,
Traffic Director William Van Duzer
and Director of Highways Capt. H.
c. Whitehurst did disclose they were
much interested in Mr.. WhitnalPs
views. They said they wished to
withhold comment until a parking
survey currently being carried on
in collaboration with the Bureau OF
Public Roads Administration is COM
pleted some months from now.
Planners Consider lure.
Oficials of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission,
however, were more communicative.
While they would not make definite
commitments on how Mr.. Whit
nails proposals could best be ap-
piled to Washington. they did go
so far as to set forth hypothetical
cure for downtown disease" based
on conditions and tentative plans
so far.
The planning expert. who has
been touring United States cities IN
an advisory capacity, said Monday
night that the probable solution lay
in terminal parking facilities in the
centers of cities, both public and
private, TO hold up reasonable tax
values at the heart while cncourag-
ing a sensible amount of decentrall-
zation with terminal facilities pro-
vided for the decentralized portions
SO that the disease" could not crop
out there also.
If the city plan of the Planning
Commission, which calls for the
entire Government TO be housed
either in the Federal Triangle. Fed
eral Rectangle west of Seventeenth
street, East Capitol street and
Southwest Washington, near the
Capitol were suddenly to be put
into effect in its entirety there
might be a sudden drop in building
values in the central business dis
trict. it was said.
The planners formulated on the
spur of the moment a plan for the
future along the following lines:
l. Putting into effect the commits
sions Federal building plan, thereby
placing the vast bulk of static -
or all day, parking in the Federal
building area and leaving the busi-
ness district free for dynamic or
stop and go, parking.
2. Persuading the Federal Gov
ernment to provide far more ade-
quate public parking facilities for
its own employees IN the Federal
building area.
g. ENCOURAGING the business houses
IN the central commercial district
to provide commercial parking lots
and buildings as adjuncts TO the
places Of business.
Terminal Facilities Proposed.
1. Providing marginal public ter
minal parking facilities at the edges
of the congested central section so
that car drivers could leave their
automobiles and proceed the rest of
the way in town on public mass
transportation facilities.
S. Zoning carefully outlying or de-
centralized business areas and en-
couraging them 10 provide CONNER
cial parking facilities also.
s. Constructing by-passes both for
intracity traffic not wishing TO en-
ter the central area and for inter
city traffic wishing merely to proceed
north, east, south or west from
Washington.
T. Carrying forward Of the street
widening program and the program
to unsnarl isolated points of con-
gestion, like K street and Rock
Greek parkway. Fourteenth street
and Maine avenue S.W. Thomas,
Scott and Dupont Circles and others.
This hypothetical program may
not be far from what actually is
done in the future, the planners
said.