Street committee tackles parking problems

    The Washington Street Committee met Wednesday to talk about a few parking issues in the city. The issue that occupied much of the meeting was the parking just east of Washington Eye Care Center near the intersection of Second Avenue and Third Street. The committee members said that visibility is very bad for traffic on Third Street at that intersection. They said it is because large vehicles park on the west side of Second Avenue where they are not allowed, and that this obstructs the view of motorists on Third Street.

    There is a sign on the west side of Second Avenue indicating that only compact cars may park near the intersection. Committee member Merlin Hagie said the sign is being ignored and that normal-sized vehicles are parking in that spot. 

    ?I brought this up to [Police Chief] Greg Goodman that the problem exists and it is getting worse rather than better,? said Hagie. ?When you?re coming from the east, the cars are angled with your line of sight. But coming from the west, that?s not true. If those two stalls are filled with humongous vehicles, you have to creep out into the intersection.?

    Committee member Bob Shepherd agreed, noting, ?If you?re eastbound on Third Street, you can?t see. You just can?t. You have to get out into the intersection.?

    Shepherd also said people park within a few feet of the intersection where parking is not allowed.

    ?I thought that we should put some barricades up there for awhile until people got it through their heads that that is no parking,? said Shepherd.

    Committee member Karen Wilson-Johnson said that she received a proposal from a resident to fix the problem. The proposal was to put in a four-way stop at the intersection, rather than require that only traffic on Third Street stop. Hagie said he was strongly opposed to making the intersection a four-way stop.

    Hagie said that one way to solve the problem was to lower the compact car sign. He said motorists may not be able to see the sign because it is too high. The committee members asked City Engineer Rob McDonald to find out if the sign could legally be lowered.

For more, see our May 21 print edition.