Evening star., 1953-09-25
Transit Firms
Urged TO Act in
Parking Issue
Keneipp Suggests
Use of Devices to
Cut Auto Traffic
By George Beveridqe

Traffic Director George e.
Keneipp today urged public
transportation companies here
to. "come out of their nobody
loves-me complex" and try ex-
perimentS which have attracted
patrons in other cities. thus cut
ting the number of autos enter.
ing business areas.
The traffic official made the
plea during a panel discussion
of parking problems. sponsored
by the Washington Board Of
Trade at the Shoreham Hotel.
He was one of seven business
and official leaders delving into
all phases of parking ills.
Mr.. Keneipp said it was the
city'S job to assist transit firms
any way it can. One means is
to ban curb parking when it is
interfering seriously with street.
car and bus movement.
"At the same time" he de-
clared, 81 would like to see the
transit people come out of their
nobody y-loves-me complex and
try some of the experiments that
have proven so successful in at
tracing patrons in other cities.
Devices Elsewhere.
Special rates for fringe park
ing and. shuttle buses for both
workers and shoppers, reduced
round-trips for ff-peak periods.
special rates for family rides,
night events, zone fares and in
tensive publicity campaigns
are some of the devices that
have been used elsewhere"
Mr.. Keneipp also warned that
of-street parking garages can
"do as much harm as good"
unless they are designed so cars
can move freely in and out OF
them.
He said the time may not
be too far off" when all left turns
from such garages might be
banned. He also urged stronger
penalties for motorists who
block traffic by illegal rush-hour
curb parking, and said some ban
might have to be imposed on
curb truck deliveries.
Dean J. Locke, Capital Transit
Co. engineer, proposed in an
other address a five-point pro-
gram to encourage mass transit
use as a key to downtown traffic
snarlS.
He said moves to increase
transit vehicle speed would tend
to cut private auto use and do
more than anything else to ar
rest or completely reverse the
continuing losses in traffic which
transit companies have suffered
since the end of World War H."
His program for accomplishing
that goal called 1or:
Elimination of curb parking
on substantially all downtown
streets. off-street parking rates
high enough to "inhibit all-day
parking" provision of enough
off-street spaces to meet Short
time needs of shoppers, business
men and visitors, fringe parking
lots with downtown service pro-
vided by feeder buses" and more
adequate bypass highways to
route through traffic around the
congested areas.
In other addresses:
L. b. DOggett, jr., vice presl-
dent, Washington Parking AS
sociation, said projects here are
planned or under way to provide
5,480 more off-street parking
spaces. Urging that Government
stay out of the parking business,
he also said 22,500 spaces have
been provided here since the end
of World War II. He said most
garages now are operating about
80 per cent below capacity.
]. M. Sanders, Board of Trade
Traffic and Highway Committee
chairman, stressed that the board
favors off street parking Develop
ment by private investors. But
his committee, he said, advocates
condemnation of land in areas
where needed facilities are not
established within a reasonable
time. Sites, he said, could be
purchased with parking meter
revenues.
Edward J. Kelly, superintend-
ent, National Capital Parks,
asked that tourists parking
needs be considered near popu-
lar monuments and park areas.
He said 17.161 spaces in parks
of the District exist now, and
that 95 per cent are available
for all-day parkers. He said his
office was the constant target"
of complaints from tourists who
can't find parking spaces, and
added:
1--WE believe now that the
amount spent by tourists might
be materially increased if all-day
parkers didn't grab all available
space-that many visitors are
kept away because they cannot
tour the city in their own cars,
due to inability to park"