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Photo: Downtown parking enforcement

By Howard B. Owens

A person alerted me earlier that a parking enforcement officer was on Center Street chalking tires. I went out to try and get a picture, but couldn't find him, only the chalked tires (FWIW, this picture is not of my car. Mine was in a parking lot with one chalk mark at the time).

The person who told me about the tire chalking said she had never seen parking enforcement downtown before. I spoke to a business owner and another office worker -- who always parks on the street -- and neither of them had seen it before. One shop owner remembers parking enforcement one day last summer.

I called Chief Randy Baker to ask if this was something new or what's going on? He said nothing has changed.

"I beg to differ that people haven't seen him out before," Baker said.

Baker said there is a two-hour parking restriction downtown and the city employs a part-time parking enforcement officer who monitors parking, addresses problems when he sees them and responds to complaints.

I asked the chief for statistics on the number of parking tickets written per month and he said that number should be available in a couple of days.

Robin Murphy

I remember about five years ago (I worked in the area) tickets being written in the mall paring lot for parking in certain spots over the specified times for the color of the parking spots lines. They always seemed to be checking the larger lot by Sunny's.

Oct 27, 2010, 3:35pm Permalink
Cecelia Lullo

They love to get the public lot across from the YMCA and Senior Center in the mornings-so be careful if you work out, linger, go for coffee, etc. They will get you!

Oct 27, 2010, 3:38pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

After I posted this, Chief Baker called back and said one thing that may make enforcement a little more noticeable today is that he recently asked the part-time enforcement officer to vary his hours, instead of always coming in in the morning.

Oct 27, 2010, 3:44pm Permalink
Bob Price

Ehh,just more reason not to park downtown. Why don't they park someone with a camera at the intersection of 63 & 5 by the police station to catch all the red light runners coming off Ellicott? EVERY time that I am stopped at that light,there is someone running a red light.I like the ones that follow the semis that go through when yellow.They could get the car for 2 tickets-following too closely and running a red light.Betcha that would generate more revenue than harassing people parking downtown.

Oct 27, 2010, 7:20pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Bob, I hate that intersection. The duration of the green light from Ellicott to Rt 5 is very short. I've found that if I'm behind a semi at the light, by the time the semi makes it through the intersection I'm staring at a red light as I go through it. The duration of that light needs to be extended and timed better so that traffic can flow down west main through the other 2 lighted intersections at Dellinger and Oak.

Many times if traffic is heavy, I take a right onto Court st and a left onto Main and make it through that intersection long before I would have if I'd stayed on Ellicott.

Oct 28, 2010, 5:33am Permalink
Russ Salway

Kathleen I do remember her, but we called her Jane the Meter Maid. I worked at Unicorn Audio for five years and probably witnessed her writing 500 tickets! I wonder whatever happened to that tiny police car? Probably sitting with dust on it in a city basement. Bring back the little police car and everyone will know that parking enforcement is in the area!

Oct 30, 2010, 7:34am Permalink

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