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Parking for school dismissal raises safety issue
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - August 19, 2009)
Parking for school dismissal raises safety issue
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon officials will try to resolve a problem that has been plaguing the city for decades.
Members of City Council's safety committee said they hope to talk with Chardon school officials to address the traffic that parks in neighborhoods during school dismissal. The effort is in response to complaints from residents living next to the schools who said parked cars create an unsafe condition.
Chardon Police Chief Timothy McKenna told the committee the complaints centered on Chardon Avenue, just east of Maple Avenue.
He said, although he could ask the school administration to allow the parents who arrive to pick up their children into the school lot, he is reluctant to do that, because more vehicles would mix with children walking to school buses.
He said, often one officer is assigned to handle traffic exiting Chardon Middle School, while the other must handle whatever calls come in. He said it would be difficult to try to assign an officer to watch the parking situation.
Councilwoman Deborah Reiter said she would like to "brainstorm" with school officials on a solution. "It's not safe for anyone to park in the street," she said.
Mr. McKenna said Dana Stearns, manager of operations for the schools, has made suggestions in the past for possible solutions. About a year ago, he said, she suggested that the city take out the curbing and replace the tree lawn with diagonal parking.
Mr. McKenna said he's not sure what the district has in its five-year plan.
These days, he said, many more students are driving to school rather than taking the buses.
Mr. McKenna said, when he went to school, students who wanted to drive to school had to show a hardship, such as a job after school. Now, he said, it appears that only freshmen and sophomores use the buses.
Although the city could crack down on parking, Mr. McKenna said, the department often gets more aggravation from a parking ticket than a speeding ticket.
Mr. McKenna said, technically, parking is not allowed on any city streets. He said the city makes allowances for events hosted by residents, such as a birthday party, bar mitzvah or driveway paving. He said police want to ensure that any parking does not block a neighbor's drive or a fire hydrant.
In one instance, he said, he stopped a youth football game at the school when those attending blocked a fire lane.
In the past, he said, the city has erected signs to designate no parking, but those signs have been taken down.
He said he would like to first check with school officials on their five-year plan because there have been talks in the past about expanding the school lots to accommodate more vehicles.
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