Belfast ponders ways to create parking spaces

BELFAST – The city’s Traffic Committee has recommended finding more parking spaces and converting a couple of two-way streets to one-way to alleviate potential congestion downtown.

The committee presented its report to the City Council on Tuesday and the council immediately agreed to begin reviewing the recommendations at its next meeting. The council was unanimous in its praise for committee members and their attention to their task.

“I don’t think we could have a better report,” Councilor Phil Crosby observed. “It highlights that there are a limited amount of parking spaces downtown and they’ve got to be kept open for traffic to keep moving.”

Crosby was all in favor of adopting the recommendations on the spot and instructing city staff to prepare the necessary ordinances. The council voted instead to take up the matter at its April 15 meeting.

The council formed the committee three months ago to investigate complaints about growing congestion in the downtown. The primary concern was in the general downtown area with particular emphasis on traffic patterns in Post Office Square.

Committee Chairman Mark Weaver told the council that after reviewing the matter, members determined that the city “did not have [a] congestion problem downtown.” Weaver added that a number of items needed to be addressed to ensure that the situation remained the same.

The committee urged the council to seek additional parking. The report suggested allowing parking on the upper end of High Street and entering into agreements with owners of private lots, such as the Tarratine Club, to allow public parking. Members also recommended opening up Front Street for two-hour parking.

Committee member Paul Dean said that another key recommendation was to change Spring Street to a one-way street between Church and High streets with traffic moving in the direction of the harbor. Miller Street should be converted to one-way between Church and High streets with traffic moving uphill. Currently, parking is allowed on both Spring and Miller streets and vehicles have difficulty passing when cars are parked, especially during the winter.

Councilor Walter Ash said he would rather ban parking on the two streets than see them converted to one-way traffic. He said changing the traffic flow would increase congestion downtown.

Councilor Charlotte Peters said that homeowners along the streets needed to be notified before any changes could be made. Peters also suggested that the intersection of Miller and Church streets be converted to a three-way stop similar to the intersection at Miller and Congress streets.

“I know where you’re going, but I’m not going with you,” responded Police Chief Allen Weaver to Peters’ suggestion. Church is currently a through street and Weaver said that installing a stop sign at the Miller Street intersection would cause traffic to back up into Post Office Square, a situation that would create traffic jams downtown.

The committee also recommended that traffic enforcement be emphasized in the downtown area and that the council consider purchasing a Denver Boot to ensure that parking tickets get paid. Chief Weaver said scores of tickets go unpaid each year because it costs more to prosecute the offenders than the fine. The committee recommended increasing the fine from $5 to $10.

Weaver pointed out that parking ticket collections increased when Camden purchased a boot.

“They found it to be very successful, especially after they booted the first car on Main Street,” Weaver said of Camden.