Minutes 11-12-08 - Laserfiche WebLink

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curbs with “S” curbs that allows cars to park on them and it could gain as much as 8 inches on each side (16” in total) and giving plenty of room for the trash trucks. He mentioned that he has seen trash trucks having rough times maneuvering on the street but they made it. He would also like to see the statistics of the Fire Department regarding how many times a year the fire trucks uses the street. He understands that the room is tight for the fire trucks but they made it. Restricting parking just inconveniences everybody and could evolve to a bigger issue that could end in them having a private street (regarding parking) and they don’t want that. He concludes that the City should look at the portion of the street where “S” curbs can be installed and in the meantime, the Police should ticket cars that restrict the travel of emergency vehicles. He stated that if the trash truck drivers made it, the special school bus driver should be able to make it as well. A representative of the 7100 block also in opposition stated that only one side of the street would not allow enough room for all of the current vehicles to park on Northmoor. An alternative could be to implement “no parking” at narrower areas. She stated that the width of a fire truck should be between 7½ -8 feet and the width of regular cars is about 6 feet. Considering that cars should not park more than 6inches away from the curb, an emergency vehicle can fit on the road but cannot maneuver as much as in the areas wider than 24 feet. Ms. Tapia, Public Works representative, stated that the standards are eight feet for parking and 11 feet for travel lanes. Commissioner Patterson recommended that the City identify the portions of the street that parking should be restricted on one side and exempt the areas where the street is wider. Ms. Tapia mentioned that another alternative is the implementation of the residential parking permit system that would reduce the volume of cars parked on the street (no Washington University students, no metro users, etc). Commissioner Paterson stated that a combination of partial parking restrictions and residential parking could work. It was discussed among the residents that it’s the City’s responsibility to keep people safe. But also, there was a concern when parking is only allowed on one side of street, the street seems wider and this allows for drivers to speed and increase the possibility of using the street as a cut thru. Commissioner Paterson stated that parking should not be used to control speeding problems but the Police should enforce the law. Commissioner Brot stated that the residential parking system is a good solution to limit non-residents from parking on the street. Considering the amount of people with driveways, the firefighters concerns and the possibility of people parking over on the sidewalks, she hopes that this time the City could made some change to protect the lives of the people that live there. Commissioner Patterson asked if the implementation of the “S” curbs is a possibility. Ms. Tapia stated that at this time it is cost prohibitive. Resident stated that the implementation of “S” curbs is the solution but it’s dismissed immediately by the City. Ms. Tapia stated that the cost for concrete curbing is about $45 per linear foot, just labor and materials. She also explained that none of the traffic issues are based on popularity demands but in traffic warrants. We include the residents affected because it’s one of the parameters to consider. The residents say that the solution for emergency vehicles to travel on the street should be burdened by the City and not by the residents. Minutes – November 12, 2008 Page 3