Parking Lanes And Meters A Problem For Roads Board

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 26617, 20 June 1958, Page 12

Parking Lanes And Meters A Problem For Roads Board

(New Zeaiana Press Association)

WELLINGTON, June 19. ‘‘l wish I had never seen a parking meter in New Zealand If I had my way I’d abolish every one in the country. Meters have not solved the problem they were put there for—to take traffic off Ihe main routes.” This condemnation of a now commonplace system in New Zealand cities and towns came from the Municipal Association’s representative on the National Roads Board (Mr G. A. Harris), at a meeting of the board in Wellington today. Other board members did not openly refute Mr Harris’s contention. but there were murmurs of disapproval. Parking lanes and parking meters posed a big problem for the board when it was discussing its new policy of taking responsibility for main routes through the larger boroughs and cities. The general opinion of board members was that parking areas should be excluded, but then the board was told that in these cases it was responsible for the “carriageway,” and it seems that, legally, the word “carriageway’ 1 could be made to include parking lanes. It was also pointed out that the anomalies expensive ones

would arise in places like Invercargill where, the main throughroute was wicler than normal. Finally, at the suggestion of the board chairman, the Minister of Works (Mr Watt) members decided to “sleep on the problem” and tackle it again tomorrow.