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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA005 - Email from Kris Moorman, concerns about parking on Brookridge "Kris Moorman" To <kthompson@city.ames.ia.us>, <dvoss@city.ames.ia.us> <kmoorma n@mid iowa.net> cc 07/07/2006 03:35 PM bcc Subject Letter to City Council Members--for 7/8 Packet! TO: Ames City Council Members and City of Ames Public Works Dept. Staff RE: First Passage of Ordinance Revising Parking Regulations on the East Side of Brookridge Avenue Mayor Campbell and Members of the Ames City Council: At the June 13, 2006 City Council meeting, after a staff report on the subject above presented by Director of Public Works John Joiner, two Brookridge Avenue property owners made statements to the council requesting that the council consider recinding the original 1967 ordinance restricting parking on the north end of the east side of the 800 block of Brookridge. Afterwards, Council Member Popken made a motion, seconded by Council Member Rice, directing the city attorney to draft a new ordinance negating the prohibition on parked cars at that length of that street. However, that action was taken without either council member having personal or accurate knowledge of that three-way intersection, where 9th Street ends at the triangle that abuts the 'S'-curve of Brookridge above the Brookside Park tennis courts, and in doing so they have produced the the not-to-be-taken-lightly action that the council will be voting on at next Tuesday's meeting, referenced above. I will be giving a presentation that evening on behalf of all of the citizens of Ames OTHER than the original complainants to the city who want the city to erase the newly-painted yellow 'no parking'curb painting-- and who are vehemently against making this highly-traveled intersection once again into the traffic hazard that we have so recently been delighted seeing get finally 'fixed', albeit a full ten years after the resurfacing work was completed and the curb painting should have been done in the first place. As I have been back living in our family home at 1223 9th Street, which my parents bought in 1956, exactly 50 years ago, since 1993, I bring a particular institution memory to this entire controversy, so I am hoping that my remarks will receive your particular consideration at my presentation. Our home is the *only* property which directly faces all aspects of this three-way intersection, and to say that we have "seen it all" doesn't even begin to describe the traffic accidents and near-misses that we have witnessed over the years. The fact of the matter is that this is the sharpest curving street in the entire city of Ames, making the visual lines almost completely obstructed from both approaching lanes,plus the street actually narrows to the point of being able to bear only two car widths, so it should be abundantly obvious that there is NO room for ANY street parking whatsoever on this particular length of Brookridge. Therefore, to remove the "thank-god-it's-finally-done-ten-years-after-the-street-was-resurfaced" newly-painted yellow curbing, which has greatly pleased most of those living in this neighborhood by far-- and after years of many repeated calls to the city about parked cars obstructing the traffic flow,by the way--would be an endangerment to all those who transit this street-- a body of drivers,bikers, runners, and pedestrians who live not only locally,but all over the county and beyond. This is a public street -- not the private parking area for a few homeowners. So I am URGING each and every one of you to personally drive this street before next Tuesdays meeting! True, one drive-through doesn't constitute "true knowledge" of the variety of on-coming traffic you might face in repeated tours of the area, but still it will give the council members SOME sense of the actualities of the place. I would strongly suggest that you start at the light at 6th and go northbound on Brookridge, and paying special attention to where you start to NOT be able to clearly see on-coming cars from the north, and noticing where exactly the new yellow curbing starts, and then note how fast other vehicles are going around you-- and in particular whether or NOT they even actually STOP at the three stopsigns. Then continue on north on Brookridge to at least Orchard Drive, where you can turn around and then head southbound on Brookridge, making note of the same things as you go southbound around the 'S'-curve. I would also welcome you to just plain park your car right in front of our house --the white Dutch colonial facing the triangle --where you will be able to surveil the entire three-way intersection. Do that for a few minutes, as Community Safety Officer Coordinator Ben McMillan and I did the other evening between 6:45-7:OOpm, and you will see that this IS in fact a fairly heavily-traveled intersection, with obstructed sight-lines that many drivers pay no head to, and I guarantee that you WILL"see it all" --the non-stoppers, the rolling-stoppers, the speeders, the number of times drivers have those 'gee-whiz!'moments when they came THAT close to being hit by another vehicle, or when they had to swerve to get out of someone's way coming from the other direction, and it should become clear to each one of you why this new ordinance removing the parking prohibitions must NOT stand. Parked cars only add to the danger at this intersection, and we shouldn't have to have broken bones and fenders on record to prove our point. There is plenty of other parking in the immediate area-- in front of our house, north of the stopsign at the top of the curve, to the east of the curve under the juniper hedge --more than enough for almost any occasion. The painted curb presently prohibiting parking in the 800 block of Brookridge ONLY effects *TEN* cars, it should be noted, after all--not a big inconvenience in almost anyone's book. But it only takes one parked car on the stretch of this street at this particular intersection where it narrows to only two car widths to cause an altercation. This is what we want to prevent ever happening in the future. Again,please take it upon yourselves -- as an absolute necessity before voting on this proposed recinding of parking regulations ordinance! --to actually drive the street yourself in both directions. How ELSE can you appropriately vote on something you quite likely otherwise have so little knowledge of to call judgement on? This is a serious public safety matter, and each of you owe the citizens of Ames who regularly use this thoroughfare that small consideration before casting a vote that could endanger their lives and those of their loved ones. Thank you, Kris Moorman 1223 9th Street Ames, Iowa 50010 232-1316 kmoormanna,midiowa.net