SUPERVISED PARKING

Taranaki Daily News, 7 July 1931, Page 9

SUPERVISED PARKING

VIEWS UPOH THE QUESTION.

IMPRACTICABLE UNLESS CONFINED.

Its views upon the supervised parking of motor cars in New Plymouth were submitted to the borough council last night by the Taranaki Automobile Association. These, together with the chief inspector’s report and letters from other municipal authorities, were referred to a special committee comprising the Mayor and Cr. Brown. Replying to a letter from the council concerning the parking of motor-ears the Automobile Association wrote that the question of supervised parking was ope which had been considered on several occasions by the association, but the committee had understood such a scheme might carry with it serious legal responsibilites and had up to. the present taken no further' action. The association recalled a proposal it had made several years ago for an enclosed parking area near the railway station, which lapsed on account of the heavy expense which would have had to be borne by the association. The committee was not satisfied that a scheme such as had been outlined by Mr. L. Worsop, by 1 which the services of an unemployed man would be used as a parking area attendant at a small fee, was a practicable scheme. Streets in which cars might be parked at night were scattered, which meant that a supervisor would either have to spread his attention over a number of streets or confine his activities to a certain specified area. Neither- proposal appealed to the association. In view of the legal responsibility which appeared to be involved the committee did not consider a scheme of supervising cars parked in streets a workable one. If a confined space were available where supervising could be effectively done the association might be prepared to extend its cooperation. The chief borough inspector, Mr. R. Day, reported that the scheme was impracticable for New Plymouth, considering the spread-out area and the limited number of cars that could be parked in any one place. He had examined the scheme two or three years ago at Wanganui with a view to its adoption at New Plymouth. The Manawatu Automobile Association outlined a scheme in Palmerston North of patrol men who were appointed to watch cars at certain parking areas. They issued a ticket to those desirous of having their cars watched. No salary was paid them and they relied on the contributions made by the public. They were supplied with an arm badge and had adopted a cap and badge. Since the inception of the scheme a number of motorists had expressed their appreciation and not one car had been stolen from a guarded area. Three parking areas in Wangaqui, wrote the city council, were under the supervision of officers of the Wanganui Automobile Association. The officers took the number of each car and gave a ticket to the owner, receiving whatever renumeration the owner cared to offer. The work was carried out entirely by the automobile association.