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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1973)
Advice for skidders: don't panic Autumn and winter driving can hold numerous hidden hazards. Wet leaves on the road surface or patches of ice on bridges or shady pavements can be far more dangerous than driving on newly fallen snow. If you run into icy stretches or slick pavement, reduce speed but don’t slam on the brakes. If you brake too hard, you’re likely to lose traction and start skidding. Also, avoid any abrupt steering movements. If your car should go into a slide, don’t panic—turn the steering wheel in the direction the car is sliding and allow the car to reduce speed by taking your foot off the accelerator. If you must use the brake, pump it gently. If you have stopped on a slip pery surface, accelerate slowly in this situation as well. Sudden movements can cause your car to go out of control. In cold, rainy weather bridges freeze sooner than the rest of the road surface. Be especially careful to avoid skids on bridges. Put your cooling system in shape for Winter. Unless the cooling system is in top shape, your car’s performance will suffer. You may ex perience poor fuel econ omy, breakdowns—even a shortened life for your car To prevent these problems, get Tune-Up No. 2—a complete check up of your car’s cooling system And if key parts need replacement, specify Gates, the top quality line of V-belts, hose, radiator caps and thermostats. They're available every where. The Gates Rubber Co. Denver, Colorado sodeB K lie ik licit ikik lie jfcjteii » * * *.J- -I—I—*—* Downtown parking-its not all free -•"w A By KATHLEEN GLANVILLE Of the Emerald Free parking downtown has been in effect for over a month, but the good old-fashioned parking ticket has not become obsolete. Publicity promoting the new parking program has served to confuse many shoppers who take the admonition—COME DOWNTOWN AND PARK FREE—literally, whether or not signs or meters indicate otherwise. Alice Rutter from the city’s public relations department em phasizes, “If there’s a meter there, pay it!” During the first few weeks of the program, irate shoppers waving parking tickets beseiged the office of the city manager, demanding explanations. The city is anxious to clear up any misunderstandings about the program by stressing the fact that although free parking is unlimited as to time, it is definitely limited as to location. Free lots and on-street parking spaces are designated by large signs proclaiming: Welcome to Downtown PARK FREE. Signs designating restricted parking areas must be obeyed. Two hour zones, loading zones, and other posted areas are not part of the free-parking program and anyone ignoring them will get ticketed. The 1,300 meters remaining in the downtown areas are beyond the district which the downtown merchants and property owners are financing and they must be paid. There are over 2,000 parking spaces which are free within the core area. Downtown merchants and property owners will pay ap proximately $235,000 during the first year to provide this service. It is vital to the success of their program that the public is able to use the program with ease and assurance. One of the major concerns of those financing the program was a possible monopolizing of the free areas by employees working in the central area. If downtown employees filled up choice free parking areas the downtown merchants would fail to completely eliminate the edge large shopping centers have always held in parking con venience. An ordinance painstakingly drafted by the city attorney’s office bans free parking areas to those living or working in the downtown district covered by the program. This includes both employes and employers, permanent residents, and registered guests at hotels and motels in the area. The ordinance clearly provides that free parking is off limits to one of these people only “while in his place of employment, while at his residence, or while in the motel or hotel.” The ordinance does not exclude workers and residents from using the free parking areas when they are shopping or off work. It only excludes them from using the free parking as long term free parking. The massive job of applying this ordinance effectively and fairly belongs to a computer. All the license numbers of people working and living in the area have been fed into a computer to be compared with the license numbers of cars parked for long periods of t i me. City Traffic Engineer A1 Williams has emphasized that human judgment as well as the computer will be used in the enforcement program. Enforcement personnel will check and determine whether or not a vehicle in question is really in violation. Williams says the enforcement program is intended to punish only the persistent violator. Downtown merchants are cautious in assessing any initial success of their program. It will be at least six months before the program can be gauged by increases in traffic and sales. The crucial question whether or not free parking will draw people who otherwise would not mam om strut ntH parking -ON STRUT mi PARKING patronize the downtown area cannot be answered until studies a‘re made over a long period of time. • • • Small Cars (Continued from Page 4) an economical car. Volkswagens not only get good mileage, he says, but the initial cost of purchase is low, and repairs are easy to make. The cheapest car sold at Ed Pape’ is the standard sedan, the “beetle,” which sells for $2,400. Ross says most beetle sales are to people bet ween 22 and 28 years old. Some Eugene citizens apparently aren’t concerned with finding the best bargain. Earl Stone, sales manager at Dunham Olds-Cadillac, says that his business caters “to a different class of people ... not the 40-hour-a-week, work-at-a-mill type of guy.” His customers, says Stone, are used to driving a luxury car, and they’re not bothered by either rising car prices or the shortage of gas. While Stone doesn’t foresee an increase in Cadillac and Oldsmobile sales in the near future, he doesn’t expect them to drop off either. 'Hie same people come back to buy luxury cars, and they aren’t concerned with getting an economy car. Besides, Stone points out. Oldsmobile makes the Omega, which is comparable in price to a Volkswagen super beetle, and could be considered an economy car. Everything You Need Eugene's COMPLETE Import Parts Center Christmas special through December on shocks, Cibie lights, ski racks, air horns and tire chains. All at 10 % discount from our Santa Claus to you! CIBIE - EMPI - NGK - BAJA KITS DEANO - SCAT - RAPID - COOL SIG ERSON CAMS - CROWN continental parts distributors 2007 Franklin Eugene, Oregon 342 - 1266 recycle this paper! recycle this paper!
