Council sets new rules on parking
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on January 24, 2006 1:52 PM
Trucks soon will no longer be able to park on the Center Street median, Goldsboro City Council members decided Monday.
Despite concerns voiced by business owners last week that parking restrictions downtown would limit advertising opportunities and put their trucks in harm's way, no one showed up to tell City Council.
With no opposition on the record, councilmen unanimously approved the implementation of parking restrictions and fines downtown.
Effective March 1, no parking on the median will be allowed. Those who ignore the new rule will be fined $50 every time they park outside the designated parking spaces on Center Street.
Councilmen Bob Waller said large vehicles with their tires on the sidewalk created an eyesore for those who work in and frequent the downtown area.
"It's really an appearance issue," Waller said.
Council chose to begin enforcement in more than a month to give downtown businesses time to make other parking arrangements for their vehicles.
City Mission Thrift Store manager Kathleen Harrington said Friday she thought potential parking restrictions on the street were a bad idea. Mrs. Harrington said the company truck has to be parked out front for advertising and to avoid break-ins that could come from leaving the truck in the alley behind the store.
This morning, Mrs. Harrington said she didn't like the outcome of last night's meeting, although she plans to abide by the rule.
"We might not like what they (councilmen) say but we have to abide by it," she said.
She added that she hopes people won't forget about donating to the mission just because the truck will no longer be parked out front.
Store owner Mike Rooney said the city doesn't provide sufficient parking downtown or security behind the building.
"If the city doesn't have adequate parking in the front, which we don't, and they cannot provide security in the back, we have to park up on the curb," he said. "My truck has been broken into and slept in back there."
Rooney added no one came by the store to announce the public hearing or ask staff how parking restrictions would affect the business.
"They (councilmen) have no idea what our concerns are," he said.