HASTINGS STREETS AS "GARAGES"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 72, 17 December 1937, Page 6

HASTINGS STREETS AS "GARAGES"

Motorists Who Offend in Business Area THE MAYOR'S APPEAL A reiteration of his previous statenent that it xvas the emphatic desire 5f * the couneil to encourage people to jome to Hastings and to carry out thsir ihopping without ernbarrassment as regards traffic regulations was made by tbe Mayor, Mr G. A. Maddison, at rhi meeting of tbe Hastings Borough Couneil last ev-ening. Objection was taken by tbe couneil, however, be said to people leaving tbeir cais ' ' garaged' ' on tbe streets f or long periods, and be appealed to tbe motoring publie to aesist and co-operate witb tbe couneil %n tbe maiter of parking of cais in the main streets during busy bours. * 'Tbe person we are mainly concernfcd witb is tbe man who 'garages' kis car in tbe main street for two, threo or four bours, or even half a day," said Mr Maddison. "We bave no desire to embaTrass people who come to lown to do tbeir sliopping. In fact we w.'sb to encourage tbem to come to town. ' ' He agreed tbat 20 minutes was not » sufficiently long enougb period for jnany eople to carry out tbeir shopping expeditions, but be urged people to do their sbopping as expeditiously as possib(e, and, wben eompleted, to move tbeir cars fiom the busy areas to make room, allowing otber people to bave tbe same privileges. Mr Maddison mentioned that complaints bad been made tbat tbere had been disfigurement of cars by chain. marks made by inspectors, and it had been deeided to discontinue tbis practice. Tbe inspectors proposed to con centrate now upon better observance of lorne of tbe rules, sucb as tbe double bauking of caTs in tbe street and would •ndeavour generally to bave tbe mobile traffic mn more smootbly. He also made gpecific mention of tbe motorist who drove too slowly, saying tbat sucb a motorist was just as dangerous as tbe man wbo drove too fast. Anotber point was that it was intended to uxercise greater control over pedestrian traffic, especially as regards crossing tbe street. "At the preseut time people just cross tbe street at any old place, ' ' be said. A furtber complaint tbat tbe couneil kad was tbat too many people parkea I tbeir caTs outside tbe .Post Office and left tbem tbere for long periods. So mucb so was tbis practice prevalent tbat at times it was impossible for a motorist to pull up near the Post Office to carry out his business tbere. "Tbe couneil bas no desire to embaTrass anybody wbo is engaged in legitimate trading and sbopping in tbe town," eoncluded Mr Maddison. "But X do appeal to tbe people to co-operate and assist tbe couneil in tbis matter of parking of cars in our main streets during tbe busy periods, and not to use our busy streets for tbe garaging of tbeir. i •ara."