Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-08
Prentiss Urges Use
OF Meter Funds 10
Aid Fringe Parking

AluIIMye TdhHly
District Engineer Commits
sioner Louis w. Prentiss yester-
day suggested the possibility Of
using the city's 81 million park.
ing meter fund to subsidize future
fringe parking projects If pa
tronage is not sufficient to make
them attractive to transit COM
panies.
In his final scheduled address
before leaving to take command
Of Fort Belvoir. Va, Gen. Prem.
tiss also told an American Auto.
mobile Association luncheon
group that:
i. The District should not at
this time enter any downtown
off-street parking program at
municipal expense. Z
2. The best downtown parking
solution is privately built multi,
pie small garages, utilizing me-
chanical equipment to reduce
costs, as close as possible I'd cen.
tiers of USE"
Parking Platforms.
8. The city should consider the
feasibility Of parking platforms"
at strategic points near transit
lines on the "inner-belt" roads
system around the congested
part of town.
4. Federal officials. should con-
slider assigning Government park
ing space in Virginia only to
Virginia residentsltand assigning
spaces in the District only to
District residents in order to
spur fringe riding.
S He opposed control by the
city of private parking rates.
6. He said he did not think
the city could support either q
subway system or a comnluter
system utilizing railroad rights
of way, but that the District
must have an adequate transit
system OF buses and streetcars.
Gen. Prentiss, limiting his
talk to parking problems, said
he wanted to give the AAA his
thinking on some things ! have
been stewing over for the last
two years"
Throughout the talk, he ham
mered at the point that the city
cannot afford to provide ade-
quate street, bridge and other
facilities to permit everyone
who wants to drive downtown
to do so and be assured of a
convenient parking space.
Supply and Demand.
The general said he felt the
normal forces of supply and de-
mand should regulate the num-
Der and price of off-street park
ing downtown. Those not will
ing to pay the price should use
fringe parking facilities which
the area must provide even
tually, he said.
Discussing the pilot fringe
parking project just off the
Suitland parkway on the Ana
costa side of the South Capitol
Street Bridge, Gen. Prentiss
noted that patronage fell off as
soon as a free-ride test period
ended and the Capital Transit
Co. began charging for bus
service into town from the lot
Whether people like it or not
we're going to have to get more
of them to park outside the cen.
trail business district and ride ir
on buses. ,s.s.s
I'm the. future we are going
to have to give very careful
thought to the location of fringe
sites. And If there is not suffi'
Gent patronage, 1t would be
service to the District to offel
(transit cornpanies) some kline
of guaranteed price"
The general told reporter
after the talk he had in mire
possible use Of unspent parking
meter receipts IN the District
Motor Vehicle Parking Agenc.
fund for use In the fringe pro
gram instead OF spending thu
money for downtown off-stree
spaces. ....s iii !. !,
81 Million Fund.
Agency officials said the funs
now contains ABOUT vi mltllpi
and is getting new revenue q
the rate of about $4o0, 900 y year
The general did not refer spe
officially to the Capital Transi
Co.
Asked for comment, &c. Gid
dings, Capital Transit vice pres
ident. said he thought the pro
posal was a good one. He SAT-
he felt sure his company woul'
60 along with subsidy, If nee
essary, up to the point Of cover
ing costs of the Service--at leas
as long as no new equipmen
(buses) would be needed"
The general emphasized tina
he was not proposing a clearl,
defined program for the fltir
and that there certainly lis hi
easy solution"
=, MANY studies are going to b
required by experts" he added