"The present traffic board in Cambridge is doing all it can, but control of the situation is probably beyond their ability," City Councilor Mrs. Cornelia B. Wheeler stated last night. "It seems sensible now to appoint someone who is well trained in modern urban traffic control." She pointed to "a logical craziness in parking legislation" and the need for urban traffic engineering.
(In a letter to the CRIMSON published today on page four, Norman Holly 3G calls for "better drafting and effective communication" of city parking ordinances. He claims that students who obey the law have been ticketed by city police for inapplicable violations. Other students, who do not know about a new law, have parked illegally at night although they were obeying the posted regulations.)
University Problem
Mrs. Wheeler emphasized that "those at the University must face traffic problems as citizens of Cambridge, not as Harvard students," and indicated that such an approach would make a solution easier to reach.
Holly, who has spoken to members of the Council and to the office of the City Manager, said he had encountered an element of "run-around" and "buck-passing" in both quarters. Officials have also told him that "it is Harvard's responsibility" to publicize city parking regulation if Cambridge newspapers are inadequate for this task.
"Apathetic At Best"
He added that many Council members would be "apathetic at best" to a parking proposal from a University student, and suggested that such a proposal would be more favorably received if it "came from a taxpayer."
Both Holly and Mrs. Wheeler have proposed further study of the parking situation. Mrs. Wheeler said "it deserves a full investigation," while Holly favored the creation of a study committee. He added, however, that the creation of a traffic expert as suggested by Mrs. Wheeler, would "be even more than we had expected."
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