The Evening Star FRIDAY, MAY 16, 1947. A POOR COMPROMISE.

Evening Star, Issue 26102, 16 May 1947, Page 4

The Evening Star FRIDAY, MAY 16, 1947. A POOR COMPROMISE.

Warnings by the chief traffic inspector that the new motor .parking regulations in the city will be strictly enforced do not indicate that motorists can take much comfort from the changed order. The inspector is nieiely carrying out his instructions for a “ rigid enforcement ” of the regulations, and, although motorists generally have not shown any marked apprehension about the position, we think it iike.y that their experience, once the full plan is in operation, will not be too happy, ihe president bi tile Automobile *issociai/ion proiesses to tuid iuue.li merit in tne scneiue, whicli is umy. to bo expected, as ins association \> as represented in tile uisoussions, anu apparently concurred witn most ot the proposals hnai.y adopted, it lias never ueen suggtsced mat the Auiomoone Association was primarily respoiisioie for the new restrictions, out it must, on tile evidence avanaoie, taae consideraoie lesponsiuiiity ior uio ultimate enects. at is a strange position lor the motorists' organisation to be in, and it seems foreign to ns primai y objects. Admittedly, it was wise to make concessions wneu participating witn otner bodies m discussions, out m was not expected mat it wou.d give wnole-iiearted endorsement to a piau wmcli, in spite oi cue president s declaration, by no means improves tne motorists’ opportunities to para tneir ears within a reasonable uistance of tne shopping anu commercial areas. 1 he proceuure adopted by tne City Council in calling a commence of an tue bodies interested m the question was fool-proof, and it cannot be criticised ior putting into operation a p.an tnat has such widespread endorsement. As we see it, one of tile functions of tne Automobile Association is to protect the freedom and convenience of its members m tne use of city streets. .Presumably its representatives nad to give way oil a number ot ponits on uincu they found themselves in a minority, in which case tney suouid admit it freely, ’lne president of the association, in ins ,repiy to The ‘ .Evening star,’ has, However, claimed tnat tnere has been a bU per cent, reduction in tue restrictions on parking, and he lists fourteen streets from winch he states that tne restrictions nave been lilted. The fact is that the detailed list of parking restrictions under the new p.an occupied nearly a full column in this newspaper when published a fortnight ago, and included in it was almost every one of the fourteen for eitner total or partial restrictions at some section or for some part of the day or night. lu the final result the new regulations must substantially reduce the convenience of motorists in parking. In tne hist place, the time limits are reduced. An allowance of fifteen inmates in the mam shopping areas Is not unreasonable, but tnat limit extends to some totaLy unexpected places where it can be of little value. Tne previous limit of an hour in adjacent streets is, in many cases, reduced to thirty minutes, and the whole effect of the restrictions is to push cars parked for more tnan that time farther from the centre of the city. Already, streets in which cars were formerly parked for a reasonable time 'are largely deserted, because tiie new provision is of little use, aud some streets several blocks from shops or business premises are now crowdefi. The authorities should realise that only one vehicle can stand on a particular parking spot at one time, and any regu.atiou which, compels motorists to shift from place to plat* within short periods is no solution to the problem. Most of the larger cities have proved this, after going through the “growing pains” of pettifogging control. Apparently, Dunedin also must have its share of this experience before there can be any realistic view of the situation. The new scheme has been described as a compromise—and, we think, a poor one.