(6) This photograph shows the location of Chicago's Grant Park underground garage in relation to its adjacent generators. (See fig. 6.) The rate sign at the right of the photograph indicates that operation is both self-parking and attendant parking, the latter being considerably higher for the first hour because of the additional labor involved in storing and retrieving a vehicle during a short time interval. This underground garage was built in two sections over a 10-year period. The first section or north garage was opened to the public in 1954, with 3 levels providing 2,100 spaces. The south garage consists of 1,500 spaces on 3 levels, operating on a 100-percent self-park basis. Both sections were financed by revenue bonds and are owned and operated by the Chicago Park District, an autonomous, authority-type governmental unit. (7) The final exhibit illustrates a unique combination of three intimately linked factors in urban transportation: (1) A major generator, Cobo Hall, Detroit's large convention center; (2) the city's inner freeway system; and (3) a 1,217-car roof parking deck on the roof of Cobo Hall. (See fig. 7.) Opened to the public in 1960, this attendant parking facility accommodated 484,088 cars for the year ending June 30, 1965, and grossed $242,044. The John Lodge Expressway emerging from the west end of Cobo Hall is visible to the left of the photograph. The elevated roadway in the center foreground provides a direct connection between the expressway and the three-lane helical ramp leading to and from the parking deck, the center lane being reversible to serve in and out peak movements. The $2 million price tag includes the cost of the circular ramp, surfacing the roof deck, construction of a 3-foot parapet wall, and cost of extra-reinforced components required to support the added loads. Based upon testimony presented to other congressional committees at previous hearings, by persons opposed to the establishment of any municipal authority, I would like to take a few moments to review some of their arguments and to offer a rebuttal. One of the objections often made is that public entry into the parking field constitutes an unwarranted invasion by government in a sphere of activity adequately covered by private enterprise. The only logical reply to this charge is that the municipality is only interested in providing a necessary public service at specific locations where private industry cannot satisfy the parking demand, usually due to lack of sites which can only be assembled by condemnation, an exclusive prerogative of government, or inability to finance land acquisition and construction of properly designed facilities. Public authorities are not interested in competition, per se, since such action. would strike at the very foundation of government which derives its power from tax revenues flowing into municipal treasuries from going to private business concerns. You will be informed that parking revenue bonds will freeze the meters at the city's curbs to the detriment of traffic flow, because meter revenues are pledged for bond redemption. The answer to that statement is that the Commissioners, who have the authority to order both the installation and removal of meters, will follow the advice of traffic engineers of other departments whose prime concern is the expeditious movement of traffic on the city streets. |