Fairfield plans to ban rights of way parking

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield City Council has passed the first reading of an ordinance to ban parking in rights of way, the strip of land between the street and sidewalk.

The ordinance will have to go through two more readings before it is adopted. The council's next meeting is Monday, Aug. 24. If passed, owners of commercial properties could still park in their rights of way after obtaining a permit.

Fairfield City Administrator Aaron Kooiker said there are a number of reasons the city wants to make this change. One of them is that removing cars from the rights of way will ease water and sewer repairs, since water and sewer lines are often found under the right of way. Kooiker said some water and sewer lines are under streets, but whenever possible the city builds them under the right of way to avoid having to dig up the street.

Another reason the city wants to eliminate right of way parking is that it causes line-of-sight problems at intersections, where motorists can't see cross traffic because of a parked car.

Lastly, Kooiker said parking in the right of way looks bad, and the city wants to do all it can to make Fairfield a beautiful and inviting place to live.

For residents who feel they have no choice but to park in their right of way,Kooiker has a few suggestions.

First, street parking is an option.

'There are not many streets where we've banned parking,” he said.

Second, residents can widen their driveways if they're not big enough to accommodate all of their vehicles.

Another option is to install a parking area on their side or back yard, since city code already prohibits parking in the front yard.

Comments regarding the ordinance can be submitted to Kooiker at cityadmin@fairfieldiowa.gov.