People often like to argue with the angle we take. They may be acutely opposed to the opinions we present, or they may quibble with the degree to which we take it, no matter how parallel, perpendicular or divergent our ideas may be. Sometimes we are considered rather obtuse, depending on what side of the line we fall.
The same could be said for the way city council handles things. Last week it voted to kill old-timey angle parking on Perron Street after a year-long pilot project designed to increase street parking capacity by 29 cars while slowing traffic to 40 km/h. Angled parking stalls make the parking part easy, but the backing out part a little hairy. When you are next to a big pickup, the task is an act of faith.
Reaction was mixed. Some citizens, like bookstore owner Kim Borle, are sad to see it go. “I think council should have given it a little extra time,” she says. Others are happy to be rid of the scourge claiming it to be inefficient and potentially dangerous. Wine Kitz owner Cal Howard believes it has snarled traffic, by narrowing traffic flow and removing turning lanes. “People were fearful of driving on the busy days.”
So parallel parking – also widely dreaded, it should be noted – will now return, sometime in 2016. At this time, however, that is all we know. Yet to be decided are plans for lane changes, road widths, speed limits and perhaps even more importantly, how this will tie into ongoing downtown redevelopment plans. Those discussions will begin this fall, and as we watch them unfold, we hope councillors take the occasional glance in the rear-view mirror before stepping on the gas.
