Evening star., 1954-11-30
Farley Stresses
Cities Aid 10
Expand Parking
D. c. Experience in
Private Financing
Gets Brush-off
By George Beveridge
Sior Stoff Correspondent

SASSA w. y SAA@A@AA@S S<esAAsHAS Va
what private enterprise can do,
is getting a brush-off here from
officials who want their own
cities to finance big municipal
parking ventures.
That was the strong implica-
ton, at least, at a forum dis
cussion on urban parking needs,
held as part of the American
Municipal Associations 31st an
nual convention yesterday when:
/. Brig. Gen. Louis w. Prentiss,
District of Columbia Engineer
Commissioner, who moderated
the forum, got a cool reception to
accounts Of what private enter
prise has done in Washington
without direct city Intervention.
2. c. T. McGavin, director Of
the National Parking Association.
was branded a "propagandist"
for private parking operators and
heatedly refused a chance to
speak against city governments
entrance into the parking field.
Would Control Rates.
8. An ANA committee recon-
mended fatty that all cities act
directly to furnish adequate,
permanent parking facilities at
reasonable rates." It also advo-
Gated control over parking rates
charged by private operators.
The committee report, pro-
posed as a policy statement for
the association, urged members
predominantly mayors and city
councilmen from throughout the
country-to regard as academic
the question of whether or not
the municipality shall be engaged
in a off-street parking activities.
1t must be-" The report also as
serted:
with full factual data fur
nished by the traffic engineering
agency, the city government
should determine basic parking
policies and delineate the areas
which will be left to private en-
terprises.
"The municipality must also
determine which public controls
shall be imposed on parking rate
schedules and other phases of
private parking operations"
Speech Cut OF.
After the report was read, Mr..
McGavin attempted to speak. He
got out only a comment that the
panel appeared to be well loaded
with proponents of municipal
parking" Amid applause and
loud seconds, John D. McGillis,
Detroit Municipal Parking Au-
thority director and the ANA
parking committee head, asked
that Mr.. McGavin not be
permitted to speak.
"A lot of people paid their ways
here to express themselves" he
shouted. There Is no right for
this man to be pushing forth his
propaganda in this meeting when
we have so many things to dis
cuss."
Among the sizable audience,
there appeared to be virtually
complete sympathy with MIR.
McGillis' position.
Just before the outburst, Gen.
Prentiss told the group, the Dis
trict, after studying the traffic
problem, had decided officially
to "give private enterprise q
chance without the threat of
interventions." In the last three
years, he said, private investors
"have added an average of 1900
new off-street spaces a year
more than any place else in
the Nation" He said the total
private investment amounts to
about $50 million.
Cites Different Densities.
Commenting on municipal
parking plans proposed for Chi
cago. Detroit and other cities,
Gen. PrentiSs said such plans
might be all right for one city
and not for another. Washington.
for example, he said, is a '.hor-
izontal city which doesn't have
the high densities of q vertical
city like Chicago"
The general asked the ANA
committee to define what it
meant by furnishing reason
able" parking rates and an "ade-
quate number" of parking spaces.
He also asked the municipal
parking advocates who they
thought should best pay parking
costs-users of the facilities or
the public generally through a
subsidy of one form or another.
Metropolitan Washington res
idents, for example. he said,
descend like a horde Of locusts
on the central city every day
and park their cars. Should Dis
trict taxpayers pay for letting
these people from Maryland and
Virginia park their cars or
should the users pay?"
Mr.. NC Gillis, the committee
chairman, defined adequate
parking spaces" in q city the
total needed by all types of
would-be parkers and defined
reasonable cost" as what the
public will pay"
Chicago Parking Expands.
Mr.. McGillis contended that
private and municipal parking
operations "can and are living
side by side"
Another speaker. Robert J..
Kelly, Chicago Bureau of Park
ing superintendent. said his city
has embarked on q $50 million
municipal parking program. He
said the parking needs are so
great In Chicago there is no re-
sistance from private operators.
In addition, he said, the city
wants private men to operate its
new facilities.