11/19/09
By Rachel Azevedo
The future of parking in Sisters is backing-in. The city council approved an infill project Thursday that will add more than a hundred new parking spaces in undeveloped areas along Main and Hood Avenues as well as on adjacent streets. Currently Salem and Portland use back-in parking.
"What the studies suggested were that parking crashes are reduced 25 percent when converted to a back-in angle parking," said Brad Grimm, Sisters Public Works.
Oregon Department of Transportation and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee for Deschutes County wrote letters in support of the project, saying the parking allows better visibilty, both when vehicles back in and pull out, for other drivers and cyclists in the road.
"With back-in diagonal parking, the cyclist can see whether the vehicle has a driver in it and is pulling out. The driver can see the cyclist easily. They can make eye contact and there won't be any surprises," said Chuck Humphreys, a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee member.
Additionally, people loading and unloading items from the back of their vehicle will do so on the sidewalk instead of in the street. The project calls for sidewalks to be three feet wider to allow for extra overhang.
Drivers in Sisters are worried about relearning how to park, but open to the change.
"I can see if you're backing up and traffic is going in one direction it'd be an easier merge," said a Sisters resident.
"The solution that they're suggesting might work, but has the potential for problems," said Doug Kaufman.
Drivers will test their back-in diagonal parking skills in just a few weeks on Larch Street when this preexisting improvement project is complete.
Work on the new project will begin in the next few weeks, but pavement will have to wait until the spring.
Comments
Parking on Main and Hood Street and bringing new buisness to Sis
Hi,
I just saw the news piece for new parking for Sisters on Main and Hood regarding making it safer for bicyclist.
Are you kidding me! I work for Habitat on Main Street and I have never seen a bicyclist get hit. I have seen many care accidents but not bikes. What a waste of tax payers money to improve parking spaces!!!!I The only parking issue I have seen is on Quilt Show Weekend and that is expected!!!!! Why on earth is Sisters thinking about spending money on streets!
Bring new buisnesses into town...Coyote Creek just closed down, they had been a resturant in Sisters for over 10 years!
Except the fact that we are a small town.
Napa left because they did not have a enough buisness. Ask any shop owner and they will tell you they are having a hard time in this recession. What the heck are you doing form them?????
Take care of what is in Sisters first.
New parking spaces...what a waste of my tax money!!!!!!
Lizabeth
+
Way to go Lizabeth
I agree wholeheartedly with Lizabeth's comments. In this day and economic climate, everyone must watch what they spend very closely. Does the City of Sisters have excess funds that they need to spend it on ridiculous things like changing the way we park?
The people who live in and around Sisters are suffering. There are NO jobs locally. You either have to drive into Bend or Redmond, and even then the choices are scarce. If the City has excess funds, why don't they use it to help its citizens.
I don't get politicians, what good are they if they don't help their own people with decent wage jobs. Soon Sisters will be nothing more than a ghost town, as businesses and people leave to find opportunity elsewhere. When the people who live here cannot even afford to put food on the table, who's going to buy all the artwork and trinkets that this town sells?
We are so DEPENDENT on tourism and have done very little to cultivate sustainable industry. Sisters is and will continue to suffer as long as the leadership of this town is short-sighted.
Sisters parking
It is precisely because times are tough that we ought to be doing all we can to make our downtown core as attractive to everyone as possible. The parking improvements are part of that effort -- and they are funded by a parking reserve fund that merchants have already paid into, precisely to improve parking. Yes, it would be nice if government could simply create jobs and mandate tourists to come here. But it can't. What it can do is make our town more attractive, more interesting, more enjoyable than others -- and while city government cannot take over failing businesses, it can ensure that public infrastructure is the best it can be. Back-in diagonal parking, as part of this larger parking improvement project, is just one of those little things that can help send the message that Sisters cares about motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and that it is doing all it can to make downtown safe and attractive for all modes of transportation. This vision is part of our Comprehensive Plan. I'm glad the city has shown the courage to do something innovative to make it a reality.
diagonal parking
Dear "Sisters Parking" (afraid to use their name I guess?) This is nuts. How long does it take for someone, (even with superior parking skills) to back into a space. Are they going to change the angle of the space so you pull past it and then back in?? You are right Lizabeth why not do something constructive to attract business to town? Our taxes here are higher than a giraffes behind and several people in our community can't afford to pay their homeowner Assn. fees and god knows what else they are giving up? Why can't our city officals pull in their purse strings like the balance of the "Commoners" do. Get a Grip!!!