Automobile Club's Picture of Traffic Under New Regulations: Council Spokesmen Interviewed Under the proposed parking regulations which are to come Into effect shortly, Shanghai motorists in the Central District will have' to enter tupan a "game of musical chairs" if they wish to keep their names out of the trae courts, That was but one of the many contentions laid before the Shanghat Municipal Council by the "Automobile Club of China on August 19, At the Close of a discussion of the Proposed parking regulations that day, representatives "of the club handed the Secretary-General "and the Secretary of the Council. 3 lengthy aide memoirs presenting their views. A' general discussion followed the statement of the chair man of the club, at the close of which the' Council stated that "the various points raised would be considered and a communication would be Addressed to the club on the matter due course, The aide memoirs ran as follows 'With regard to the correspondence which has been exchanged between the Secretary of the Council and the committee of the Automobile Club of China on the subject of the new parking regulations, the committee of the club decided' to approach the Council with a request that they be permitted to send. a delegation to meet the Secrelary "of the Council for the purpose of explaining their views in detail, thus avoiding. the clay which occurs as the result of prolonged correspondence, This, course was particularly desirable in view of the urgency of the matter, The committee of the club" have requested us to thank the Council for ranting permission for the interview and it is now desired to put forward the following salient "features Which the club's objections to the new regulations are. based: parked in the same space. The committee of the Automobile Club of China fail to see what advantage this would be to trae control. The number of cars will remain the same, bout, the continual periodical cireulation now legislated for will tend towards a definite congestion to the Mow of trafic in the Central District.
The Council framed regulations in uly, 1995, on the presumption that private enterprise would step in to provide parking space for the motor ears taken off the roads. It is mot the fault of the individual ear owner that private enterprise has failed to tee, expectations and, therefore, appears reasonable to' suggest th: the Council should not put these regulations into force unlit such a ime os their" presumptions have materialized. There is, of course, one garage at the northern end of the business quarter, but this is so remote from the most Important business area that its value is negligible. One cannot expect owner-drivers. walk four times a day' the distance stem the' said garage to their office ered an a Figures Unchallenged In the course of the correspondcence the club pointed" out that, as the result of personal Investigation by club officials, approximately $40 cars would be deprived of the parking facilities they now have, "The reply of the Secretary of the SMC. dogs not challenge the gute stated andi we, therefore, take it as accepted. On the other hind, the Secretary's etter docs not give any satisfactory reply as to where the said 540 cars can be parked. To say there will be room fs not suMclent and we would be glad if details can be provided as to where these cars can be accommodated. Should such de-falls not be forthcoming, the committee of the club can only consider that in drawing up the proposed new yogulations the Council had it in mind that the spaces reserved for walting cars under the new rogilations will, in actual fact, be used very largely for parking cars whose exist~ ing parking facilities are being done away with. This means that these cars after a 60-minute wait in one authorized place will have to rove. Consequently, there will be a constant move of ears from one block to another and this will take place throughout the busiest time of the day Inthe business section of the Moler-ear owners employing chautfours will thus not be greatly. in-¢onvenienced. The owner-driver, however, who is unable to dash out of his office every 60 minutes (0 find fresh parking space for his car, desires to know how he is going to ud It possible to park his ear at all in compliance with the proposed new regulations, Tt has not been stated by the Council, in connection with the spaces allotted' for temporary waiting cars, how far a vehicle would have to be moved to comply, with the hourly time limit, According to the present regulations there 1s nothing to prevent a ear waiting one hour opposite Whiteaway,' Laidlaw & Ca,, another hour opposite Kelly & Walsh and a further hour opposite Moutries. "AS far as the committee of the Automobile Club can see, the continual movement which must eventuate, if the proposed scheme is made offectivo, will resolve itself into something very much in the nature of a game
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.