Committee OKs restricting parking on Second Street

The Fairfield Public Safety and Transportation Committee voted Wednesday to restrict parking on South Second Street from Harrison Avenue to Fillmore Avenue.

The decision was made in response to numerous complaints received by city officials that parking on both sides of the street was causing dangerous congestion. Concern was expressed that at times, the number of cars parked there makes it difficult to drive down the street. Citizens reported emergency response vehicles could have difficulty accessing addresses on the street because of the high number of parked cars.

Fairfield Fire Chief Scott Vaughan said since complaints have been made, he informally has been monitoring the situation. Characterizing the parking problem as ?sporadic,? Vaughan said he has driven down the road at times when there was only one car on the entire street. Other times, he?s had difficulty successfully maneuvering his SUV down the thoroughfare.

Citizen Susan Phipps said people are not fully utilizing off-street parking options available to them; she recommended city residents use off-street parking wherever available rather than obstruct passage on city streets.

Fairfield Police Captain Dave Thomas reviewed current parking ordinances. Citizens who leave cars parked on the street for 24 hours receive a warning to move the vehicle; after 48 hours, they can be cited. Also, if residents park trailers on the street, the trailer must be attached to a truck or car.

` Vaughan and Thomas noted parking already is restricted on South Second Street from Harrison Avenue to Madison Avenue. Parking is only allowed on the west side of the street.

The committee voted 3-0 to restrict parking from Harrison Avenue to Fillmore Avenue to one side of the street. They recommended it be restricted to the west side for consistency; however, the committee said it could be restricted to the east side if public works superintendent Darrel Bisgard had objections.