Reduced Parking Ban “Still Unnecessary”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30171, 1 July 1963, Page 10

Reduced Parking Ban “Still Unnecessary”

No business area can hope to survive without parking facilities, says the proprietor of Massons Milk Bars, Ltd. (Mr H G. Smith), in a letter to the editor of "The Press.” commenting on the City Council's peak-hour parking ban in Colombo street

“I must first commend Cr. T. D Flint on his courtesy in replying so fully to Donald Haberfield and ‘Shopper,’ but as one vitally concerned in the result of his actions. I cannoit agree with his remarks.” Mr Smith says ‘‘The initial adverse effects have, unfortunately, become permanent and progressively severe," he says ‘‘The present -elief to only one hour of restrictions is appreciated, but still unnecessary. ‘‘We probably would have accepted that loss (I quote) ‘until such time as the?public were educated to use the offstreet parking facilities with which the area is well equipped '

“Cr. Flint can’t be serious. To my knowledge there is not one such area in my region (Gloucester street to Armagh

street). I will welcome information on this point.

“It is a well-known fact that no business area can hope to survive without parking facilities. They will die. This area has been drastically hurt.

"Last Friday, at 8.35 a m., there was only one car parked in the area, and at 6.20 p.m. on the same day. the only car there belonged to a member of my staff. This was a Friday. "As for using the street with greater safety, it is no safer than before ‘black July' apart from more room for bicycles. There are still only two lanes of traffic, and I would appreciate Cr. Flint quoting the traffic counts for before and after to prove the doubtful claim to speedier traffic flow.” Mr Smith says

Cr. Flint’s Reply In reply. Cr. Flint says he agrees that no business area can survive without perking facilities but that "this raitiher sweeping statement cannot be applied to the present case, where the council has prohibited parking for one hour a day outside the front doors of a limited number of shops.’’ Cr. Flint says that In that area of Colombo street where Mr Smith’s shop is, between Armagh street and the Square, only 16 metered spaces are affected by the ban, for only one hour a day "If. as Mr Smith states, the public are not using the parking available at other times of the day. I suggest this has been brought about by uncertainty in people’s minds as to the availability of parking in the area," Cr. Flint says “I would go further and suggest that this uncertainty is caused not by council action but by the exaggerated statements made by a very small number of people ‘‘My previous remarks regarding off-street parking facilities were made in reply to a correspondent presumably from the southern end of Colombo street. I would point out, however, that the City Council has approximately £500.000 invested in and/or committed on offstreet parking schemes. Approximately half of this is in an adjoining block to Mr Smith’s shop.”