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METER PARKING WIL1 'TOT OBSTRUCT VANS

4th November 1955
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Page 28, 4th November 1955 — METER PARKING WIL1 'TOT OBSTRUCT VANS
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Road Traffic Bill in the Commons Again : Minister Accepts Amendment on Parking BY OUR PARLIAMENTARY CORRESPONDENT 'THE committee stage of the Road Traffic Bill in the House of I Commons was resumed on Thursday of last week and continued this week on Tuesday and yesterday. Members expressed anxiety about the prevention of access to premises—a matter of prime importance to goods-vehicle operators—through the parking of cars on the parkingmeter system.

Mr. A. Boyd-Carpenter, Minister of Transport, gave an assurance that elaborate provision was made in the schedule to the Bill for property owners to draw his attention to anything with which they were dissatisfied. Ample provision would be made to ensure reasonable access to premises. He accepted an amendment on thee lines from Mr. Geoffrey Wilson (C., Truro).

Mr. Wilson said that one would have be made for reasonable access to expected that places designated as meter parking areas would be iri the centres of squares, in which case they would not cause difficulties. But, as drafted, the Bill did not say so, and there was apprehension that parking meters might be placed in long rows obstructing access to premises.

In Frankfurt he had noticed that meters were arranged in small groups of three or four at the party wall between two shops, with a large interval between one group and the next. Access to any set of premises was obstructed only slightly.

The purpose of his amendment was , that it should be clear that when parking-meter areas were designated, ample provision should be made for reasonable access to premises.

Mr. Mitchison (Lab.. Kettering), for the Opposition, said the right course was not to put a prohibition on the Minister and the local authorities, but to put this among the matters to which the Minister should have regard in making the order.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter said this was a point of great importance and it must obviously be one of the matters which would have to be seriously taken into account by whoever was then Minister of Transport when a scheme was put up to him for approval. He accepted the amendment to make the Minister, when dealing with these matters, take account of the fact that when parking meters were designated, ample provision should

premises.

The Minister added that he thought there was a good deal to be said for the Frankfurt technique and he would certainly bear that aspect in mind when the time came.

Mr. Wilson moved an amendment to provide that local authorities should not be authorized. to make a -charge for a vehicle left in a parking place for the sale purpose of delivering to or collecting from premises abutting on or adjacent to it, or for the -sole purpose of picking up or setting down passengers.

Mr. Wilson said that as a matter of common sense onewould not expect that such a charge would ever arise. No one would expect a local authority to impose: a charge in the case of a bus setting down or picking up passengers, but there was .a number of border-line cases.

What about the case of the laundry van in the sole charge of a driver, who had to leave his vehicle to go to the top floor of a building, or the taxi driver who was summoned by telephone to meet an intending passenger and had to leave his vehicle in order to find the passenger? •

He also moved an amendment to prevent vendors of ice-cream or fruit or similar traders from taking the opportunity of getting a good pitch by occup?ing a site on a parking place.

Mr. Mitchison said he would have attributed, even to a Minister in this Government, enough common sense to see that parking and the collection and delivery of goods were two quite different things. He was against attempting definitions of this kind and inserting restrictive provisions which seemed to have no merit other than offering an opportunity for litigation.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter said that the Bill provided that "the local authority may make charges for vehicles left in the parking places." He was advised that the use of the word " left " meant that no power was given for charges to be levied where a vehicle stopped to unload.

He did not think the addition.of the words would achieve anything. The intention was to prevent the parkingmeter sites from being • used by barrow boys" and he would look at this point again.

Mr. George Isaacs (Lab., Southwark) asked who was to define "left."

At the end of. further debate, Mr. Wilson withdrew his amendment.

in a general debate on parking meters, Mr. Boyd-Carpenter said he did not believe that the expedient of the use of the . meters would by itself solve traffic congestion, . That could be reduced only by •,a. combination Of methods. But he did believe that.parking meters had a part to play. •

The U.S. Highway Research Board had investigated public reaction to the meters. They had found that before their installation, the reaction was one in three against them. After installation, 96 per cent, were in favour.

The American motoring associations were in favour of their use in appropriate places. There had been the same experience in . New Zealand and. business associations in Auckland were pressing for an extension of the installations. The parking meter had proved its value in the big towns, though in some of the smaller towns in Sweden there were doubts about it.

Biggest Factor The long-term car parker was the biggest single factor in causing congestion in city streets. In London in 1951 40 per cent, of the cars parked on the streets were left for long periods. Parking meters would enable this space to he shared.

The Minister announced that be had asked the ehaitman of London Transport to carry out a survey of possible parking areas around suburban railway stations with a view to increasing parking facilities close to them.

He thought that parking meters and the revenue from them would make all he difference in the provision of garages. He had been told that while they had to compete with free parking space, new garages would not pay..

Meters would be operated on the basis of 6d. an hour, or Is, for two. hours. If cars remained longer, a somewhat bigger charge would be. imposed, and only if that period—maybe two or three hours more—was exceeded, would the question of Prosecution arise.

With regard to the installation of meters outside London, this .could be done by an order made by the Minister, but it would not go into operation unless and until some local authority ast ed for it.

Mr. R. Gresham Cooke (C., Twickenham) said that garages were not always well-placed for shops and offices in the big towns. One had to recognize that street parking would have to go on in the future, with or without parking meters.

He hoped the Minister, when the schemes were put to him, would try to

sec that parking space was not going to he taken away. He had recently had a survey made of St. James' Square. On the inner perimeter there were 155 vehicles parked. But if there were parking meters, each with a space of 8 ft. to allow for the bigger cars, there would be room for only 130. , Mr. David Renton (N.-L. and C., Huntingdon) said that motorists were being unintentionally misled by the propaganda of he motoring organizations. Fie had been the guest during the summer recess of • the American motoring organizations and had visited 13 States. He had found parking meters accepted there. He suggested that in a park ing-moter scheme there should be a space specially reserved for larger cars.

Clause 9 was agreed. and So was Clause 10 (charges for parking).

CONTINENTAL TOURS REFUSED

FOUR coach operators successfully opposed an application by Messrs. Lees Motorways, Worksop, to operate Continental tours, at .a resutned hearing by the East Midland Lieensing Authority, at Nottingham, last week. The hearing began last. March. Lees Motorways were also refused permission to run excursions and tours to 'Blackpool illuminations, the Lake..

District, Farnborough • air display,•:, Stratford on Avon, Brighton, 'London,. Sheffield, Manchester arid Nottitighani,. and race meetings at Haydock Park and Redear, The objectors were Batton Transport, Ltd., Sheffield United Tours, Ltd., East Midland Motor Services, Ltd., and Trent Motor Traction Co., .Ltd.

British Railways objected to that part of the application relating to Sheffield: and London. They did not object to the proposed excursions to Blackpool and Manchester, as an undertaking had been eiven that the vehicles would not depart before certain times.

NEW ALBION BUS CHASSIS

THE November issue of The Leyland. fonrnal carries details of the new Al bio n Nim bus undetiloor-engined passenger chassis, a road-test report of which will be published in The Commercial Motor next week.

The chassis is suitable for 32-seat bodywork and is powered by a 60 b.h.p. oil engine, as fitted to the Claymore range. The wheelbase of 11 ft. 10 in. makes the Nimbus highly manceuvrable in heavy traffic.

GERMAN EXPORT DIFFICULTIES

TWO West German motor works are to dispense with 2,500 workers by this week-end because of increased export difficulties, especially in Belgium and Sweden. Borgward, who employ

10,000 workers, will dismiss 2000,, and Goliath. an associated concern, will discharge 500 of their 3,500 workers.


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