PARKING PROBLEMS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 79, Issue 7101, 31 August 1949, Page 6

PARKING PROBLEMS

SEQUEL TO COMPLAINT .BOROUGH COUNCIL DISCUSSION A firm of timber merchants in Mahoe Street wrote to Monday night’s meeting of the Borough Council drawing attention to the footpath fronting their yard. The firm in question stated that they were being put to a great deai of inconvenience through the unattended portion of the footpath being used for parking purposes by some motor car owners or drivers. The writer claimed that he had repeatedly drawn attention to the matter, but so far without much success. It was suggested that if the grass surface was removed it might be •effective as it was considered by the writer that in its present state it was not generally recognised as being of any great importance and he thought that some motorists regarded it as a piece of “No Man’s Land.’ It was stated that cars were not parked on the footpath. One councillor said that practically the whole of the street in question was taken up by trade vehicles. The practice of business people leaving their cars parked all day in front of their premises was adversely commented on. Cr Russell said that a good deal of the cause for the latter complaint would be removed if building permits couud be obtained by the business people. Ur Babbage said he did not* think that the council could do much for the complainant. The parking of cars would have to be attended to, and institution of a time limit parking, or parallel parking appeared to be the only solution. On the motion of Crs Williams and Babbage, it was decided to inform the writer of the letter that his complaint would be reviewed when the question of parking restrictions came before the council.

Cr Chunn then raised the question as to whether it was the duty of the council to provide parking spaces free of charge to the motorists. The question of appointing an attendant on Thursdays to supervise parking and collecting a fee was not deemed feasible as there were three parking areas and it would not be payable to employ an attendant for each. The Mayor then said that an offer of an area with two street frontages at a small rental per year had been made.

Cr Babbage favoured acquiring the land in question as part of the proposed bus terminal. Such could be included in the loan proposals. Cr Chunn favoured the cost of any such scheme being obtained, so that ratepayers would know’ what they were being asked to pay. The Mayor explained the procedure to be adopted in raising a loan. It was eventually decided that further information be obtained relative to a lease of the area with a view’ to the ultimate acquisition of it.