Senator TYDINGS. I would assume before making such a guarantee and before putting up a $500,000 good-faith deposit that you probably would have studied other stadium parking facilities over the country? Mr. STABILE. No, I would not go out of the city of Pittsburgh. You cannot operate these lots by remote control. Sentor TYDINGS. Have you ever studied the types of leases that other parking lease operators have had with stadiums? Mr. STABILE. No. I just stuck to Pittsburgh and I minded my own business and I did not care what the other fellow did. Coming back to this again, this guarantee, when no one wanted the parking authority I went in and offered to gurantee the bond issue and I put $350,000 in securities and they would not let me out of the door. Our rates are much higher than the parking authority. We will charge 65 cents an hour and 25 cents each hour which is higher than the authority and we still get the business. We feel that the authority started it and they got it on a momentum that it made me go all the more. That is, I had more confidence after they started. Somebody had to start it. I have been in this business for 41 years. We will tell you how many people come in in 1 hour in different areas. We can tell by the location who stays all day and who stays in 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour. We had that data before but now it is given out to the public. Previously, we did not give it out to private enterprise. Senator TYDINGS. Mr. Stabile, do you know personally any of the big private parking operators in any of the other major cities in this country? Mr. STABILE. No, sir. I don't have time to see what others are doing. I let them visit me. We have one former president of the National Parking Association that has built a private garage, which is a friend of Executive Director Barr in which Equitable lent them money to build the garage. Senator TYDINGS. Who put up the money? Mr. STABILE. Harvey Sheppard, former president of the National Parking Association. He is in our city and he recently built a garage financed by Equitable Life Assurance Co. Senator TYDINGS. Does Mr. Barr have an interest in that? Mr. STABILE. No, sir; but both these gentlemen belong to the same association. Senator TYDINGS. And it was financed by the Equitable Life Assurance Co? Mr. STABILE. Yes, sir; but don't build a garage unless it is self-parking. You save a lot of trouble, prevent stolen cars, avoid blocking cars and so on. People can take their shoes off and it does not block traffic. In Pittsburgh, I think we are the highest paid in the country. We pay more than twice what is paid for parking attendants. We have fringe benefits, life insurance for the whole family, $6 a week per employee, and we are practically the highest in the country. Í would not say we are the highest but we are almost there. By paying a higher wage, we have a better class of people running these cars and raising families and buying homes. Senator TYDINGS. Mr. Stabile, let me tell you that we are delighted to have you with us today. Your testimony has been tremendously persuasive and very interesting. You have brought out facts which have been testified to by others, but none of whom had the experience as a private operator that you have had. I personally appreciate your coming all the way from Pittsburgh to testify. Mr. DowDY. We will next hear from our colleague Mr. Scott of Virginia. STATEMENT OF HON. WILLIAM L. SCOTT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF VIRGINIA Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Chairman, it's good to know that your committee is looking into the parking problems in the District of Columbia. As you know, I represent the Eighth District of Virginia and many of my constituents commute to Washington to work, to shop, and to visit for other purposes. Certainly, this is true to an equal extent for all Washington area Congressmen. Part of the parking problem for visitors from throughout the country may ultimately be solved by the National Visitors Center, but parking is an acute problem for those who must come into Washington each day. Certainly, you are aware of the rapid growth of the metropolitan area and the commuters' problems become more acute with this growth. One of my counties, Prince William, has almost doubled since the last census, growing from 50,000 people to almost 100,000 people today. Certainly, Fairfax County, with more than 400,000 people, continues to be a rapidly growing county, as do those portions of northern Virginia represented by my colleague Mr. Broyhill, and the Maryland suburbs. I believe we could classify this as a commuter crisis which has grown in intensity over the years, not only with bumper-to-bumper traffic into Washington during the rush hours but in finding an adequate place to park once the commuter arrives at his destination. Let me mention a few reasons why we must find solutions to the parking and transportation problems: 1. Not having adequate parking discourages suburbanites from coming into Washington to shop, dine, attend movies, or other recreational facilities or to visit the historic spots of our Capital. 2. Parking shortage becomes very acute in the spring during the visits of students from throughout the country and other citizens to see the Cherry Blossom Festival and the usual traffic jams are certainly much more aggravated during these periods. 3. Visitors coming to visit us on Capitol Hill, oftentimes on official business, complain that they do not have a place to park even though we have, to a considerable extent, resolved this situation with regard to our own staffs. Having worked in the Washington area since 1934, I am quite aware that many Government employees park in spaces that have time limitations of 1 or 2 hours and leave their posts of duties during the day to go on the streets to move their cars so that they will not be ticketed, or even to erase chalk marks from tires to fool the patrolman who is checking on parking. Although substantially all of our Government buildings do provide some parking for employees, there is only enough for a small percentage and the balance look for space wherever they can find it. Now, Mr. Chairman, I think that private industry has a place in assisting with the solution to the parking problem, and I would hope that this committee would be cooperative with the efforts of the private sector of our economy to expand its facilities. It seems to me, however, that their efforts must be supplemented by the Government. Certainly, the Federal Government, as the chief employer of the District of Columbia, has a responsibility to provide considerably more free parking space for the Government employees than it is now doing. In my opinion, Government employees have good pay and many fringe benefits, but, in applying for jobs, they often ask: "Where can I park?" It is a matter of vital concern to all persons who must come into the District of Columbia, and, while I do not know the answers to this parking paralysis, we have heard of providing space underneath the Mall which I believe should be given serious consideration, and I would hope that your committee, after hearing the views of the many people who are concerned with this matter, will find a way to provide someplace to park for the thousands of people who must be in our Capital each day, even though many of them do not spend the night here. Rapid transit, someday, will help alleviate the problem, but it may be many years before this can be in use by the citizens of the suburbs and I believe more adequate parking and transportation facilities will complement our efforts to move people in and out of Washington by mass transportation. Mr. DowDY. Thank you. Are there any questions, Mr. Sisk? Mr. DOWDY. Mr. Harsha? Mr. HARSHA. Congressman, I noticed that you say in your statement that you have heard that some Federal employees even leave their posts to go out and erase the chalk marks on their tires. Those must be Mr. Broyhill's constituents? [Laughter.] Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Chairman, let me say that, having worked at the Department of Justice for approximately 21 years, many of them are Government lawyers who are doing that. It does not seem reasonable for someone charged with the responsibility of prosecuting the criminal element to go out there and remove chalk marks off his car's tires. Mr. HARSHA. But they would not be from your district, would they? Mr. BROYHILL. Will you yield? Mr. SCOTT. Since the good Congressman is on the committee, maybe I had better not engage in controversy on this. [Laughter.] Mr. BROYHILL. I would like to point out that about 250,000 are in my district, and some of those may have lived in his district before they came to mine. [Laughter.] Mr. SCOTT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for letting me be here. Mr. Nelsen? Mr. NELSEN. I have no questions. Mr. DOWDY. Mr. Hagan? Mr. HAGAN. Thank you. I am very much interested in what these gentlemen do. I appreciate very much our colleague coming here to give us his views along with all of the rest of them. Thank you. I have no questions. Mr. DOWDY. Mr. Broyhill? Mr. BROYHILL. No questions. Mr. DOWDY. Mr. Gude? Mr. GUDE. I would like to commend the gentleman for his continued interest in the metropolitan area in relation to transportation, of which this is a vital part. Mr. SCOTT. Thank you. I do have additional copies of my statement which a staff member will bring in. Mr. DOWDY. Thank you, again. We will next hear from Willard O. Bent, president and board chairman, Garfinckel, Brooks Bros., Miller & Rhoads, Inc. STATEMENT OF WILLARD O. BENT, PRESIDENT AND BOARD CHAIRMAN, GARFINCKEL, BROOKS BROS., MILLER & RHOADS, INC., WASHINGTON, D.C. Mr. BENT. Mr. Chairman, my name is Willard O. Bent. I am president and board chairman of Garfinckel, Brooks Bros., Miller 89-875-68- -5 & Rhoads, Inc. I appreciate having this opportunity to explain why I feel strongly that the shortage of adequate parking in downtown Washington is a serious situation which seems to be rapidly deteriorating. Our main department store, Julius Garfinckel & Co., is located at 14th and F Streets NW. I do not know the exact number of parking spaces in that area, or whether technically, there has been any increase in recent years. However, I do know, from having been told by a number of disgruntled customers and employees, that there is an insufficient number of spaces to meet the enormous demand there. The garages and lots in the area are frequently filled early in the morning by employees and commuters. Parking surveys have consistently revealed that people are unwilling to walk great distances to shop. I believe the figure generally accepted as the maximum distance people who drive to shopping areas will walk is 600 feet. In the spring and summer, the problem is complicated by the influx of visitors. When I have been on the floor of the store, I have frequently heard visitors exclaim that the difficulty of finding reasonable parking space has spoiled much of their pleasure in visiting Washington. Because we have suburban branches, we get a good indication of the flow of business to the suburbs and away from downtown Washington. The fact that downtown Washington is increasingly congested and inaccessible coupled with the lack of parking space for those who do drive in has been a major factor in this trend. When we transfer employees from one of the suburban branches to the main store, we find them reluctant to come downtown even with a salary increase. The frequency of customer complaints and the conviction that our main store is suffering in growth through lack of adequate parking moved me to consult with other businessmen to try to determine the extent of this problem. Almost all that I spoke to agreed that the parking problem in downtown Washington is hurting their businesses. Indeed, the parking problem is even worse than I had imagined. I would like to give you some examples of the responses I got to my inquiries about downtown parking. This is only four or five out of maybe 50 or 60. A leading realtor said: The parking problem is a frequent subject of discussion at our directors' meetings, even to the extent that there have been many discussions pertinent to the possibility of moving the entire operation to an uptown or suburban location. One merchant wrote: As a retailer who must come downtown daily, I dread the thought each day, of being exposed to the downtown traffic jungle **. It is my view that most or much of this jungle is created by people either seeking parking spaces or trying to get into parking garages. A banker said that, at one of his downtown branches: We feel that offering validated parking to our customers [with present private facilities] would be more of an aggravation than a benefit when our customers frequently could not find a garage without a "Full" sign A haberdasher reported: When on the selling floor, or at a business luncheon, or out socially with friends the most constant complaint I hear about the downtown business area is the fact that "I no longer come downtown because there is no parking." Surely there must be solutions available to us that would give parking space to customers and visitors in downtown Washington. I have been told of the difficulty of scheduling meetings and beginning on time because of the long walks participants had to make from parking lots. Complaints about parking rates are frequent. But because of the demand for parking, high rates follow naturally. In the 14th and F Street area, there is great demand for land-in fact, there is some of the highest-priced land in the city. Any well-conceived plan for parking in Washington should include the need for parking in this area. A parking authority with the right of eminent domain could establish parking facilities in this area of great need. The private operator to whom it was leased should be assured a reasonable profit. રી Mr. Chairman, I am a great believer in private enterprise. Certainly private operators would operate more efficient parking facilities than a Government agency. However, I am told that most cities have found that adequate parking facilities are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain without the right of eminent domain. It would seem to me that we should establish a parking commission with the necessary authority to place parking facilities where they are needed. Mr. Chairman, our plans for Washington should be such that we will increase business downtown and thus produce more tax income for the District government. I have read many surveys, reports, and statistics on parking and yet one simple fact remains: the most common complaint we have from customers, visitors, and business people is that finding a place to park is so discouraging that they just do not come downtown. Downtown Washington should be a place that citizens of the country should look forward to visiting with pleasure at a reasonable cost. We should not let our Nation's Capital deteriorate because of our lack of ability to recognize and act on this real problem. In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, may I point out that, although I am testifying to the need for parking in the area of 14th and F Streets, there are other sections within the downtown area that also suffer from the shortage of parking space. Businessmen in this area feel strongly that Congress will do a service to the entire community if it will pass legislation to ease this problem. Ad-libbing at the end of these comments, I would like to add that we have not touched in this testimony on the needs of doctors, lawyers, professional men, Government employees, which for the last one-half hour has been emphasized, and I do not want you to construe these comments as being particularly referring to the corner of 14th and F Streets NW. I am interested in downtown Washington for the good of the Nation and also the interest of the country and also for the pleasure of visitors we have. I am not interested in one corner; I am interested in the whole-proper progress. I think our thoughts should go toward solving the problems of Government employees. Certainly, the areas under the Mall, the Ellipse, or any other space should be considered. Many of the figures we heard this morning referred to the District. And District figures are very distorted when you realize the size of our District and the major problem is downtown Metropolitan Washington. We cannot talk about just downtown. Some of the figures that |