The Press TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 1955. Parking Meters

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27690, 21 June 1955, Page 12

The Press TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 1955. Parking Meters

Parking meters are not the complete answer to traffic problems in. Christchurch; but they have already made an obvious improvement' in I the streets where they have been installed. The improvement will be greater still once motorists have become accustomed to orderly, controlled parking, and realise that it j will be enforced. On a few occasions ' last week double parking still clogged Hereford and Cashel streets, 'possibly because some persons were I not complying with the new requirements. Even so,, the difficulty would have'Toeen much greater if the new system had not kept cars parked 'closer to the kerb and parallel with [the kerb. Double-parked vans did I not stick as far into the street as

ithey would have done if cars had • still been untidily jumbled along I the edge of the roadway. Except for I these peak periods, and noticeably on Friday evening, the streets were much clearer, with little double parking and frequent spaces for the motorist with shopping to do. This is the double benefit of controlled parking. It removes many of the obstructions to the free flow of traffic (including the driver prowling slowly in search of a vacant place), thus making the streets safer and less nerve-racking. It also gives every motorist a fair chance of using a parking space for a limited time instead of letting a smaller number monopolise the central streets. The increase in allday parking well out from the centre of the city suggests that drivers who had been in some way able to defy the nominal time limits have now to look somewhere else. Once the meters are working smoothly they will also contribute to safety in the suburbs by releasing traffic inspectors for duty there.

Metered parking is only one step towards better traffic control in Christchurch’s narrow streets. Though the meters have been surprisingly successful already, they should not lead the City Council to believe that this is all it should do. Off-street parking must be tackled by the council, eitjpr directly or through encouragement to business houses. More traffic lights are urgently needed, and in most cases they could be of quite cheap design. Devices to channel traffic safely, such as pedestrian zones and traffic islands, are needed at many intersections, ihcluding points in Cathedral square, where the carriageway is very wide. Fortunately the meters can help in these directions, too, because, after they have paid for themselves, they will provide revenue to pay for other traffic improvements. If the City Council takes advantage of its opportunities it may be able to postpone for years the’ more radical, expensive, and inconvenient measures that increasing traffic will eventually require.