Car Parking in Feilding

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 24, 29 January 1937, Page 3

Car Parking in Feilding

CONGESTION IN BUSINESS AREA THE PROBLEM OF SALE DAY TRAFFIC The car parking organisation in Feilding is rapidly approaching the stage when tho civic authorities -will require to give the matter serious attention. Periodically action has been taken in tho direction of exercising a measure of control with the object of guiding the motorist who wishes to park his car on the streets in the town and although time limits for parking in certain streets were fixed these have never been stringently enforced since the borough officials have no desire to create any discord among car owners. However, tho position on sale days is far from being satisfactory and at times traffic in Fergusson street and that section of Manchester street between tho Square and Fergusson street is seriously congested through cars parking abreast on both sides of the streets. Owing to tho narrowness* of the streets named, nose-in parking is not conveniently possible so cars park parallel with the footpath and with both sides of the street occupied, there is often littlo room for two-way traffic.

Tho source of the troublo appears to be attributable to those car-owners who make a practice of arriving in the morning and selecting a parking position in tho busiest area and then leaving their cars, so parked, for the whole day. This monopoly of car parking space deprives others who wish to do shopping of a parking position and they are forced to pull up abreast of a car already parked while they make their purchases and this leads to congestion. On Friday last Manchester street was almost blocked with motor vehicles and while this may reflect business activity it i 3 not in the interests of the town and business community to have the streets congested with traffic. Some efficient control is called for unless carowners are prepared to acknowledge tho unfairness of monopolising the limited parking space in tho thoroughfares named. A check-up on the 30minute time limit for parking in the particular area may result in an improvement but the supervision must not stop at that, otherwise the troublo will be recurring.