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 Randy Sadler of Shelbyville Record Shop expressed his concerns to the Shelbyville City Council Tuesday about parking on East Depot Street. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo] |
The street is now 60 days into a 90-day trial period to test the street as a one-way, outbound road from the public square.
Randy Sadler of Shelbyville Record Shop told the council he had gathered signatures from customers asking that the diagonal parking layout be changed.
"Angled parking just isn't working," he said. He asked council members recently to park in the new spaces and attempt to back out.
"I am for safety, but if you park there and back out, you're just blind." Sadler also said while the change has meant more parking spaces for Depot Street, "sometimes more is not better."
Sadler said that the city could have the traffic go into the square with diagonal parking or go back to having parking and the street being two way "like it's been for 50 years," but that he didn't know the answer to the problem.
Councilman Al Stephenson said he tried the parking experiment, purposely parked next to a van "and couldn't see nothing." He had to get an employee of the record shop to move the van, and had he not done so, Stephenson said he would have been hit.
Another council member, Kay Rose, said she had heard a lot of positive things about the street being one way, and hoped there would be a solution.
Councilman Thomas Landers said he spoke to a man who was hauling a lawn mower on a trailer and a large pick-up truck parked on the street kept him from progressing any further without hitting it.
The driver had to ask everyone behind him to back up onto the square so he could get out of Depot St., and "he was not happy," Landers said.
There have also been reports of motorists losing their side mirrors by hitting parked vehicles, Landers said.
Also addressing the council was Cindy Stephenson, owner of WRL Market, who said that while her business was not on Depot Street, she said access to the businesses on the square was important.
"With the economic downturn, we need to be doing everything we can to encourage people to come in here and shop," she said. It is also not helpful that there is a sign at the Depot Street entrance to the square that says "Do Not Enter," she said.
She observed that diagonal parking had slowed down traffic on Depot Street, and that safety is important since many children attend the movie theatre. But she said she has spoken to many business owners on Depot Street who tell her they like the current parking situation, but are unable to see to pull out.
Stephenson asked that the city change the direction of traffic flow so that vehicles come onto the square from Depot. She also said many of the merchants have written letters to the council to that effect.
Allowing parking to be on the south side of Depot Street would allow people at Shelbyville Record Shop to load equipment instead of carrying it across the street, she said.
She reminded the council that businesses are trying to make Shelbyville's square a "destination point."
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I really dislike the parking. I do not go to the square often, but when I do it is very dangerous.
It is no different than trying to back out on the square, we can't see there either. Just keep edging and looking or have a spotter. This is nothing new to Sh'ville drivers. We could alleviate the problem on Depot if the light at the square could hold traffic for a minute and not allow a right on red coming up from the library onto Depot. Everyone just needs to slow down and pay attention to their driving. To many are rushing about and not thinking. I really like the diagonal parking. It surely beats the old way on Depot. I vote to keep it after the 90 days.
I agree with ahenderson. I hate the new parking arrangement! I think it should stay the way that it has been my entire life.
It does cause a safety problem with people trying to back out into on coming traffic. I never seen the problem with the way it was before. I think there is more important issues to deal with in the city.
Seems to me a reasonable solution would be to go back to parallel parking along both sides. If you want to retain your one-way traffic, either inbound or outbound, just let it flow down the middle of the roadway. This would also allow for more distance between the parallel parked vehicles and traffic. People complained of it being too tight before with parallel parking and two-way traffic...Wouldn't that be solved with this scenario?
If everybody had small cars or trucks, it wouldn't be a problem. But it seem like everyone that has a large transportion, want to park with the rear-end sticking out. I think it be better that you only allow to park on right side going off the square, which is East 64. Some people can't park parallel, which I have seen even at Wal-mart. Where they have handicapped paraellel parking. Most places I have been to, if you having a one-way street. You only let them park on the side going the way you are driving.
Who every came up with ideal of having those bricks curve out in the sidewalk, is the one mess up the parting and driving up and down that street. They ought to remove the curve in the side walk and then people could park have room to drive.
I don't like the new parking either the cars stick out too far in the road.
This has nothing to do with that but why has there not been anything in this paper about the missing teenager in town or the guy hanging himself in his tractor trailer rig out on 231 N. we need a place you can go to and find the news but its not in the paper.
Out of respect for eveyone involved, we do not normally report on suicides unless there's a compelling reason to do so (such as a murder-suicide, a public figure, or what have you). I'm not familiar with the case you mentioned, so I don't know the specifics or how they would apply to our policy. (Please don't post the specifics here; they'll be deleted.)
Like any newspaper, we often rely on tips from the community for newsworthy events. If you feel that the news is "not in the paper," please feel free to contact anyone on the news staff.
Let me understand this...Because some people can't parallel park we shouldn't consider it? How about if you don't know how to parallel park you pull into a spot up on the square and walk to where you need to go. Perhaps a little inconvenience on them would force them to learn the basic driving skills they should have learned when they were 16. When are we going to stop dumbing down everything to the lowest common denominator?
I agree with the owner of the WRL Market that during these tough economic times we need to do everything we can to make shopping on the square more convenient. Even though some folks can't park, we should make it easier for business to take place.
It worked fine for 50+ years till the city czar(manager) didn't like it. Put it back the way it was and leave it alone.
We went to the movie the other night and the new parking was wonderful. It's a shame people are so afraid of change.
Great ideal "BUT" it's just not working well on this street. First it's to narrow to begin with and when you angle park cars in these spaces big vans and truck stick way out to far in the road. And anyone trying to back out you have to get almost all the way out in the road before you can see. And if anyone is trying to go out the street has to be very careful and not rear end these cars. I have experenced this several times already myself.. And just trying to do 30 mph in such a tight place and have to stop in a hurry not feasiable.... If it stays one way the speed limit needs to be about 10 mph just for safety sakes...And with restriction no big vans are truck allowed to paked in these spaces......only samll to medium cars allowed to park here.....Only my opnion and I'm sticking to it... It has worked well for 200 year so leave it alone.
I still don't understand why the parking can't just be moved to the parking lots on the east side? There's plenty of room. There's nothing wrong with walking to your destination. People in Nashville walk BLOCKS to where they need to go all the time. The only traffic that SHOULD be allowed to park would be the delivery trucks to be able to access the business. But I agree, you can't do this with this new parking. It would have to go back to the parallel for the truck driver's safety, AND would alleviate big rear ends or front ends sticking out into the street.
There's my two cents worth!!
Here's an idea...limit the size of the vehicles that can park there. Direct the vans, SUV's that are too big for anyone and dually trucks to parking that is suitable. Those spaces aren't big enough to accomodate handicapped vans either. Direct vehicles pulling trailers another way and they won't have to worry about getting stuck.
People who are hitting mirrors need driving lessons, not the city to accomodate them. I don't see any difference pulling out there than trying to pull out anywhere else around the square. The diagonals are not steep enough.
Personally, I hate the one way streets. I haven't been down Depot since they changed it. I agree with ahenderson and 3boxers...change it back...PLEASE!
leave it the way it was.I've lived all my life . Who wants a one way street here anyway? its more trouble than we need.
Go Green
We should all ride horses like they used to do and we could park with no problem and they use no gas and take up less space.