Study raises concerns over parking proposal
Diagonal parking on Market Street would back up traffic, study said.
BY AMANDA GARRETT
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The diagonal parking proposal for downtown may be in jeopardy after a city-commissioned study showed the parking style would slow traffic and decrease safety.
The $72,000 study, done by Columbus-based engineering firm Burgess and Niple, covered the results of angle parking -- as opposed to the current parallel parking -- on Market and High streets and Park Avenue.
Ohio Department of Transportation officials requested the study because ODOT provides significant federal funds for the upkeep of these roads, City Engineer William Totten said. If city officials choose not to follow the study recommendations, they could lose all future funding.
The city has received about $5 million in federal funds for road improvements and expects to receive about $5 million more, Totten said Monday.
The city-funded study determined the feasibility of angle parking by measuring traffic operation, number of spaces and safety.
Burgess and Niple do not recommend angle parking on either High or Park because it reduces the number of parking spaces, while decreasing safety.
On the other hand, the study found angle parking would increase the number of spaces on Market, but, in some instances, it would cause traffic to be backed up an entire block.
Safety concerns
In general, ODOT views parallel parking to be safer than angle parking because it does not obstruct the driver's view, said Rob Shenal, a Burgess and Niple engineer.
"If you're backing out, you can't always see oncoming traffic," he said. "The person behind you has two options: They can either slam on the brakes or swerve across the yellow line."
Because the findings on High and Park do not affect traffic flow, the city may be able to implement angle parking on those streets, Shenal said.
"There's some wiggle room there," he added.
Mayor Michael J. O'Brien said that ODOT just received the recommendations, and that he would be working with them to see if angle parking can become a viable option for downtown.
Several residents, including Councilman M. Andrew Barkley, D-3rd, expressed frustration over the study's not looking at the economic impact of angle parking.
"I don't think we should just be looking at safety," he said. "We should see if the potential benefits of diagonal parking to downtown businesses outweigh the safety risks."
Councilman Robert Holmes III, D-4th, noted that many other federally funded roadways in the area, including state Route 59 in Ravenna and state Route 82 in Garrettsville, have angle parking.
The mayor said that he supports downtown parking, but that he must follow state requirements.
"If it were only up to me there would already be angle parking on Market and High and Park," he said.
Shenal and his partner, Josh Pennock, listed their recommendations and showed an animated diagram of traffic flow before and after angle parking.
agarrett@vindy.com