University of Virginia Library

Corner Merchants Condemn
'Disastrous' Traffic Plan

By TOM TANTON

The elimination of
University Avenue's on-street
parking without the creation of
off-street parking would be
"disastrous", according to
several Corner Store
merchants.

Lloyd's Rexall Drugs
Manager Fred Haar said, "The
whole purpose of the widening
of the street was to take
business from the Corner
merchants and to divert the
business to downtown and
Barracks Road Shopping
Center merchants."

Discourage Traffic

According to the proposal
presented to City Council
Monday night, the on-street
parking on University Avenue
would not be replaced by
off-street parking. This was
done in order to discourage
traffic in the area, City Traffic
Engineer Hugo Malanga said.

Mr. Haar described the
proposal as "grossly unfair"
and said that the widening of
the avenue would "not help
the University at all."

"The widening of the
University Avenue would
increase the traffic in the area
and enable the cars to travel
much faster. This would
discourage people from
crossing University Avenue
because the street would
become like Barracks Road,"
he added.

Loading Zones

Manager of Kane's
Furniture Store, Alan Kane,
said "The proposed plan would
put me out of business."

One major problem caused
by the widening of the street
would be the removal of
loading and unloading zones.

"I'd like to know where
they think our trucks will park
while delivering goods to the
merchants," one manager of a
Corner business said.

"Mr. Malanga said that 22parking
spaces would be
eliminated, but I think that he
should count the spaces from
14th Street all the way to
Madison Hall," he added.