March 28, 2024

Safety concerns spur restricted parking proposal

Due to safety concerns, the city of Newton is looking to restrict parking on two sections of roadway.

The city council passed the first reading of an ordinance to restrict parking on the east side of East 13th Street North in the 100 and 300 blocks and the east side of East 20th Street North in the 200 and 300 blocks.

“A primary concern is that emergency vehicles may not be able to travel through this area on emergency calls and there is a heightened risk of motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents as a result of the current parking design,” city administrator Bob Knabel said.

Due to visibility and width of the street, the city found parked vehicles on the east side of East 13th Street North cause a hazardous situation for vehicle traveling west of First Avenue East and turning north onto East 13th Street North. The current street width is 25 feet, which the city found is not wide enough to safely accommodate parking on both sides of the street.

Councilwoman Evelyn George commented that typically when she drives on East 13th Street North traffic is primarily parked on the east side, while the west side has a lot of driveways. Newton Public Works Director Keith Laube said the east side was recommended to keep the parking restrictions uniform.

“On East 13th Street North in the 200 block there is no parking currently on the east side,” Laube said. “As the Traffic Safety Committee met, we wanted to keep it uniform. There is also issues about parking on the east side right off of First Avenue. Cars can make a right going north and if cars are parked too close to First Avenue that was a safety concern.”

City staff received similar safety concerns about parking in the 200 and 300 blocks of East 20th Street North. The Traffic Safety Committee initially recommended restricting parking on the west side of the street, but after council discussion a motion was approved to change the restriction to the east side.

“We did receive a petition this morning with some concerns about restricting the parking on the west side of East 20th Street North,” mayor Mike Hansen said.

George said she also traveled through the East 20th Street North neighborhood and found that traditionally cars have parked on the west side. Laube said the west side was selected for similar reasons as East 13th Street North, to keep the area uniform, but he was not opposed to changing sides.

“The 100 block is wider the street narrows as you get past Second Avenue so this one you can go either way,” Laube said. “Since the street narrows it is not a place where you are driving and you have to jump over a whole lane.”

The council will have a second and third reading of the ordinance before it is passed and implemented.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com