North Adams Committee Recommends Diagonal Parking
.jpg) Pending City Council approval next week, 10 new parking spots will be created on the east end of Main Street. |
The board voted unanimously to back the yearlong plan on Monday night after hearing from city officials. Committee members Keith Bona and Jennifer Breen Kirsch said they were very much in favor of the plan, with Breen Kirsch asking why the city would bother with a trial.
"Why can't we just do it?" she asked, adding she didn't see it as a drastic change. "I feel there's been too much discussion about this already. ... We'll do the trial and then it will more discussion."
Mayor Richard Alcombright said he felt is was important to try the new parking situation on Main Street during both summer and winter.
"We want to make sure it works and that people are OK with it," he said. "I am saying a year trial but if we get into snow season and this is going well, I would come to council ask for it to be permanent. We shouldn't have to have a year to figure this out."
Councilor Marie Harpin asked what would happen if things didn't go well. The mayor replied: "We'll pull it."
Administrative Officer Michael Canales prepared a chart showing the projected returns for both diagonal and parallel parking on Main Street. With the trial expected to start July 1, he estimated returns of $2,185 for year one with a gradual increase of up to $14,203 should the 10 extra spaces created by the diagonal parking become permanent.
Traffic Commission Chairwoman MaryAnn King said those numbers were based on the current intake of 5, 10 and 25 cents for parking. The city has been looking to replace the old meters that are becoming more difficult to repair with either new digital meters or with a kiosk. The new meters could be set at 25 cents, both the mayor and King said.
Bona asked if new meters could be installed now or the old ones removed because he was worried that during the winter, drivers would be confused if the lines are covered with snow. "I just have a feeling the cars are going to align themselves with the meters, not with the lines," he said.
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Alcombright said he had spoken at length with the highway foreman and public services commissioner, both of whom believed that snow removal would not be an issue. At most, there might be a few days during the winter when the lines are covered.
"If they're comfortable with it I'm comfortable with it," he said.
Councilor Alan Marden asked if the goal was to reduce the speed on Main Street, wouldn't more enforcement solve that issue?
One reason is safety, the other is to increase parking spaces, said the mayor. "You could do it with enforcement but you don't add parking."
Alcombright continued that he was convinced lack of parking was an issue, especially now that only one storefront on Main Street is empty and four eateries have opened.
Chairwoman Lisa Blackmer said she expected there will some confusion at first but drivers will adjust. She also agreed with the mayor there was a need for parking, despite the two large parking lots — one, because people want to park near their destination and two, drivers from out of town aren't aware of the parking.
"I drove down Main Street ... There's nothing telling me about all the other parking," she said. "It won't hurt to have extra parking ... There are people who don't go downtown now because they belived here is no parking."
The new configuration will be done when the city's line painting company comes in to do the regular road stripes.
Parking Revenues & Map for Diagonal Parking on Main Street
Tags: diagonal parking,
