No angled parking for Main Street ... yet

At least until the mall property is redeveloped, there won’t be any angled parking on Main Street.
The Bristol Development Authority recently rejected a plea from downtown merchants to create angled parking as part of a planned streetscape improvement.
Officials decided they should not make any solid plans for the west side of Main Street along the mall property, but indicated that perhaps angled parking can be added there once the 17-acre site is transformed.
In the meantime, though, they decided not to try angled parking on the east side of Main Street between Riverside Avenue and the railroad bridge because of safety and maintenance concerns.With angled parking, there would be room for 13 spaces there, officials said, instead of the six that are possible with parallel parking.
Jonathan Rosenthal, the city’s economic development director, said that either choice would leave a parking deficit that has to be addressed. He said officials have to deal with the larger issue soon.
Mickey Goldwasser, a BDA commissioner who favored the parallel parking idea, said that it’s safer than having people backing out into traffic.
Mayor Art Ward said there is more potential for angled parking on the west side of Main Street.
But Ken Cockayne, a city councilor who serves on the BDA, said that merchants in the area are “really in dire straits” because of the parking crunch created by the closure of the mall site.
“Angled parking there is better” for them, he said, and would double the number of spaces for customers to use.
The BDA voted 5-3 to proceed with parallel parking in the streetscape project that aim to create much the same ambiance on Main Street that a long stretch of North Main Street has had since a streetscape project in 2005 transformed the roadway.
Plans call for brick and architecturally pleasing sidewalks, lighting, granite curbing, benches and other improvements between Riverside Avenue and Center Street, with most of the amenities focused on the area between the Main Library and the Riverside.
Jack Driscoll, a longtime BDA commissioner, said that angled parking on the west side would “probably be less traumatic” for traffic flow.
Public Works Director Walter Veselka said it’s easier to maintain a street with parallel parking given how short a stretch was eyed for angled parking. A long stretch with angled parking would actually be easiest of all, he said.
He said, though, that public works could deal with either choice. It would simply be “a little more labor intensive” to go with angled parking on the east side.
Ward and Rosenthal each said the streetscape project will be done next year.

*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com