Mount Olive limits parking to one side
By Steve Herring
Published in News on September 9, 2014 1:46 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- As of Monday night, on-street parking on Mount Olive streets is limited to the even-numbered sides.
But town residents who park on the odd-numbered sides shouldn't be worried about tickets just yet, Town Manager Charles Brown said.
Signs have to be ordered and installed so people will have time to become accustomed to the change, which the town board unanimously approved Monday night.
The new rule was effective as soon as the board approved it, Brown said.
Prior to the vote, there were few rules regarding on-street parking -- something that has resulted in some streets being reduced to one lane when residents parked their vehicles on both sides.
Fire Chief Doug Wiggins and Police Chief Brian Rhodes recommended limiting parking to the even-numbered sides of the streets, saying it is a matter of public safety.
Some town streets are narrow and vehicles parked along both sides can make it difficult to get emergency vehicles, especially the large fire trucks, through, they said.
Congestion on West College Street between North Breazeale Avenue and North Chestnut Street caused by on-street parking is one of the reasons the new rule was suggested, Brown said.
"If you had to get a fire truck through there, most of the time it would be very difficult," he said.
The town has experimented with limited parking during the N.C. Pickle Festival. Signs restrict parking to just one side of the side streets off Center Street.
Mayor Ray McDonald Sr. said parking on Maple Street in the southern section of town was a problem as well.
Even though it was not a public hearing, McDonald offered the audience a chance to speak.
Hobert Yates, a member of the Concerned Citizens Committee, said he had not heard any comments from anyone opposed to the new parking rule.
"I think we all agree that something has to be done because it is creating a problem, trucks and others coming through," he said. "It is probably the best solution that we have heard."
Brown said it is the same system that is successfully being used at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
"We would ask, if you decide to take action on this, that you in your motion, or your action, note the fact that there are exceptions that will need to be made to this," he said. "If those requests are made, we can look, and if they are justified, we can make an exception."
There is no way to please everyone, McDonald said. However, people who feel they will be adversely affected need to contact town hall, he said.
"My suggestion is that the board leave the discretion to the police department and fire department to make the decision on that," he said.
Commissioner Joe Scott asked if any consideration had been given to one-way streets.
McDonald said there are a few one-way streets in town including Wooten Street, which runs in front of Mount Olive Middle School, and Kelly and Elizabeth streets in the southern end of town.
"That's going to take a lot more study than what we have done," Brown said. "I would venture to say we might would want a traffic engineer involved in that before we go down that road."