PARKING BYLAWS

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 97, 21 October 1932, Page 8

PARKING BYLAWS

COUNSEL'S CRITICISM

Stating that it was impossible for motorists to properly understand the new parking bylaws introduced by the City Council, Mr. P. H. Putnam asked Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M.; at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon to deal leniently with Ethel Giles and Harold Green, for-whom he entered pleas of guilty to charges of parking in prohibited areas; Another defendant, A. M; Hollings/ who pleaded guilty to a similar' charge, also submitted that the bylaws were unreasonable. Mr. Putnam referred to a newspaper report in which it was stated that the City Council had recognised it was impossible to work the new bylaws properly, and it was intended to amend them. He suggested that under the circumstances the Assistant City Solicitor, Mr. J. Lockie, might agree to withdraw the charges. Mr. Lockie declined to accede to counsel's request. The old parking bylaws were difficult to understand, said Mr. Lockie, and it was with a view to rectifying this that the present bylaws were passed. Copies of the regulations were available to motorists at a cost of 6d.. Each copy set out a schedule of not more than twenty streets, outside the no-parking area, in which parking was prohibited. He contended that people came to Court with the ingrained idea that the bylaw was difficult to \inderstand, but they made no attempt to understand it. If they carried the schedule in their car's they would have no difficulty in finding out where parking was prohibited. Mr. Putnam said that on one occasion he had looked up the bylaw on behalf of a client, and had told him where he could park a car in Dixon street. Half an hour later he had to telephone his client and tell him he had made a mistake. On going through the regulations more thoroughly he had found a .provision which negatived the parking place marked on the plan. The defendant Hollinfis supported the I remarks made by Mr. Putnam, and said that there was considerable confusion as to where cars could and could not be parked. He suggested that the case against him might also be withdrawn. The 'Magistrate convicted each of the detendants and ordered them to pay 10s costs.