CAR PARKING

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 70, 24 March 1937, Page 10

CAR PARKING

THE LIBRARY SITE

REQUEST TO CITY COUNCIL

Suggestions for alleviating the parking problem in the city were made at a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce last evening, when a report was received from Mr. R. H. Nimmo.

Mr. Nimmo said that with Mr. W. B. Matheson he waited on the City Engineer to discuss the technical details of the suggestion that the basement of the new library building should be used as a car parking area; that parking space should be provided for tenants' cars in any new buildings erected in the city; that angle parking on one side of the street only would ease the congestion in such streets as Johnston and Brandon Streets, etc., and that the Harbour Board should permit angle parking on the harbour side of Jervois Quay, free from shed doors and wharf gates. Later they met the Mayor and the City Engineer, and the suggestions made by the chamber's representatives were considered to be constructive and helpful.

Dealing with the library, Mr. Nimmo said that the plans showed that the building would occupy one-sixth of the site, the remaining five-sixths' being taken up by garden and lawn, and the suggestion now was that a parking area should be provided under the garden, but that would involve engineering difficulties.

In connection with the parking sites in new buildings, Mr. Nimmo said that the Mayor indicated that it was likely that bylaws would be brought into effect in the near future with respect to street parking, and that these bylaws would make conditions favourable for the provision, by private individuals, of parking buildings. Even so, the suggestion that new buildings should provide internal space for the parking of tenants' cars was one that could be given attention, especially in view of the fact that the Government building programme indicated that many large' buildings would be erected for Government service in the near future. The Mayor stated that he would immediately write, to the Government authorities on this question and that the position would be discussed at the next meeting of the City Council on April 5, with a view to the City Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce co-operating in an endeavour to have this suggestion put into effect in the new Government buildings. On this point, of course, the city bylaw limitation of eight storeys must be considered as it would not be reasonable to expect ground-floor parking areas. The Mayor and engineer were of the opinion that the suggestions in regard to angle parking and parking in Jervois Quay would alleviate the position.

Mr. Matheson appealed to the council . not to let the matter slip. He contended that the library design could be modified by terracing the garden and parking the cars underneath. That would provide for forty cars. The matter was left in the hands of a special committee.