The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-01-14
HAL
BOYLE
SAYS

NEW YORK Up - Wnen man
buys a new automobile today, his
first worry as he slips in behind
the steering wheel is:
''Where can / park it?"
This is becoming such fretful
task that many wise buyers now
demand that the dealer guarantee
to deliver the vehicle parked with
in half a mile of their home. Find
ing the second parking place is
then up to the new owner, haunt
ing responsibility.
The parking problem has be-
come the No. l vexation of our
times. One day as / was waiting
for traffic light to change, l look
ed up and down the congested
streets and wonderingly asked
cop:
"Where are all these people 60
ing?"
''They aren't going anywhere"
he said sourly. They're just cruiS-
ing around looking for a place to
park. See that car? It's been
around the block five times in the
last half hour"
People here in the big city who
set out to drive to a friends home
first have to locate place to park
their car, then taxi the rest of the
way to their destination and back.
Garage space costs up to SIS
month and more. And it is so
scarce that when a man dies
strangers phone up his widow and
say Ibid your dear late husband
have his car in a garage any,
where? If so, I'll buy the car just
to get the space"
In the tremendous housing de-
velopment where / live wives often
come out and throw sandwiches to
their husbands as they drive about,
hour after lonely hour, looking for
a berth for the family's iron char
lot.
The situation seems almost as
bad in every hamlet across the ma
ton. One motorist told me bitterly
this parking problem had become
Americas first line Of defense
against invasion.
mo invading force could really
get very far" he said. "Its We
hicles could keep rolling only I'M
til they couldn't find a place to
park.
at isn't my troubles with my
wife that've got me down." many
a motorist groans from a psychi-
artists couch. 'tIt's this-where can
l put my carr" And the PSYCHE
artist, lying down on the couch,
too, replies:
Move over and listen to me. /
got three tickets myself for Illegal
parking already this week"
As the day is remorSelessly
growing nearer when the land will
hold more automobiles than peo-
pie, there appear only two real
solutions to the problem:
/. Pave America, making the
countryside one vast street.
| 2. Adapt the motor car to the
situation.
The second alternative appears
to be the cheaper. The car of the
future viii have all the comforts
of home--a small stove, a bath
room, an easy chair, an outlet for
your electric shaver, hot and cold
running water.
The dealer will deliver 1t to a
parking space he will find himself.
After that you jack it up and leave
it there forever.
If you want to take the family
| for a Sunday outing. you walk to
| the parked car, start the motor and
listen to the music of the spinning
wheels on their stationary jacks.
Lower the windows. An, feel that
breeze?
| Open the picnic lunch. Doesn't II
taste good? No ants here. That's
all right, kids. Throw the rubbish
in the street. No criticism from
the back seat about going too fast.
You aren't even moving. No dan
ger of accidents.
After lunch you listen TO the ball
game over the radio. Then every
| body takes a nap. 1t is dusk. Time
to start home No kids lost. No
body mosquito bitten or sunburned.
Just wonderful relaxing day. You
shut off the motor, everybody
climbs out, and as you trudge back
toward the house your wife says:
THAT was a wonderful idea.
dear. I never knew motoring could
kn ~..nA S.