But others say it’s better than banning all overnight parking
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
With the City of Burlington Common Council set to discuss options on the city’s overnight parking policies, exactly what the outcome will be remains to be seen.
“I think it’s at the discussion stage of what’s going to be best for the community,” Police Chief Peter Nimmer said. “There are pluses and minuses to both (banning and allowing overnight parking).
“The council needs to make a decision on what they want the policy to be.”
The council heard discussion Aug. 6 on whether the city should stick with a switch it made in 2008 to odd/even side parking – or go back to the “no parking” policy on streets during the late night.
Last week, Mayor Bob Miller conceded he was against the switch when it was made. However, right now, he’s not taking sides.
“I’m not committed one way or the other right now,” Miller said. But he added, “If I had to pick a choice, I’d lean more to going back to overnight parking.”
Nimmer said Tuesday that the odd/even rules are confusing people. People who park on the street have to be on either the odd or even side, depending on the date as determined after midnight – or the next day.
As a result, Nimmer said there are issues.
“People are, at times, confused,” the police chief explained. “They’ll get a ticket and come in and contest the ticket and say, ‘I didn’t know.
“We still have those issues, yes,” he added about his department dealing with the parking.
Two streets in Burlington seem to be at the heart of the issue – Chapel Terrace and Meadow Lane. Both have large apartment complexes on them, and both have “no parking between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.” signs on the side of the street where homes are located.
As a result, all vehicles parked on the street are on one side of the road. While several apartment complex residents say they have taken the time to shovel and plow when needed, homeowners are countering with no one wants that many cars parked on the street, consistently blocking access for plows and street sweepers.
“We need to do something,” said John Eckes, a homeowner on Meadow Lane.
Whether those two streets should be under a different system than the rest of the city, or if a “one size fits all” solution will be easiest for everyone, remains to be seen.
Opinions differ among council members. Some support the no parking overnight, while others think the odd/even plan works well – in spite of the confusion the police department sees.
City staff is working on a number of options to bring back to the council for discussion and consideration.
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