LESSONS FROM PARKING

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22336, 25 February 1938, Page 8

LESSONS FROM PARKING

EFFECT ON TRADE INVESTIGATIONS IN AMERICA APPLICATION TO PROBLEMS IN CHRISTCHURCH “The general practice of using roadway space for the parking of private automobiles is in reality neither a convenience to the motorist nor a benefit to the merchant.” This opinion is expressed in a report made to the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1927. Reference to this report was made yesterday by the Chief Traffic Inspector (Mr J. Bruorton) as having special application to parking problems in Christchurch, more particularly in view of the opposition that lias been expressed to the City Council’s decision to limit parking in main thoroughfares. “The elimination of parking in congested districts would greatly increase the roadway available for moving vehicles,” the report adds. “The congestion of traffic in the streets of the business districts of practically all large American cities has become acute. In spite of the serious traffic congestion, the actual capacity of existing streets for the transport of passengers has by no means been reached. The volume of traffic that can be moved over a particular route in a given time depends on the effective size of the existing roadway and the efficiency with which the available space is used. Broadly speaking, both can be increased with comparative ease. To accomplish this, all the roadway of important arteries should be made available for moving vehicles and should be put to the most intensive possible use.

“By the elimination of car parking the effective width of streets can be increased for moving traffic from 30 to 200 per cent. The use of the public; streets for the storage of private motor-cars is tolerated largely because of an exaggerated idea of their importance in the general transport plan. A check on 13 leading stores in New York during a busy shopping hour showed that of 25,292 customers, only 813 cahie by private cars. The others came by street cars, subway, or bus. To the users of public transport agencies. relief frofn congestion'by the elimination of parking would be a' great boon. For example, one of the effects of the passing of a no-parking regulation in Pittsburgh was to reduce by several minutes the running time of street cars. ' Merchants’ Opposition

“Opposition to an absolute ban on parking on a particular street, however, is likely to be made by retail merchants Whose stores dfe located there. Usually they contend that their business Will be injured unless an opportunity is given for customers to park their cars in the street in front of the stores. A preferable plan, it is asserted, would be to fix a time limit Of one hour for parking. “Such an idea is a fallacy. With parking parallel to a Curb, a frontage of 100 feet would accommodate five, or possibly, sbe cats at a time. If these six cars wOfe replaced by another Six each hour throughout the business'day. a total of 48 vehicles would have been accommodated. Probably they would not carry more than One actual cus* tomer to a vehicle, and the net result of one-hoUr parking would be- to accommodate about 50 customers during the day. For a . retail store _ with * a frontage of too feet on an important street, this number of customers would be a comparatively unimportant part of the daily business, “Moreover, from the point of view of general traffic congestion, ohe-hour parking is jUst as detrimental as Unlimited parking, perhaps more so. Limited privileges of this kind are far more difficult to enforce than an absolute ban. The capacity of a street for moving vehicles suffers a continuous reduction because of the limited parking, and there is also the added Cbm fusion caused by Cars pulling into and out from the curb line.

PIONEER CLUB Because the opening of the recentlycompleted portion of the Summit road is to be held on Saturday, the Pioneer Motor Club’s championship hill-’clifnb meeting, which was to have been held to-morrow afternoon, is now fixed for the following Saturday, March •5. The time of starting is 2 p.m. sharp, and classes are provided for machines of 250, 350, and 500 c.e. and unlimited capacity. Cups Will be ‘ompeted for In each class, as well as other prizes. General arrangements and cohfli-