Back-in parking remains controversial

People may be adjusting to back-in parking on Main Avenue, but the innovation remains controversial.

Former city council member Pat Thompson spoke during the council visitor communications Thursday in support of two women that work on Main Avenue and park there daily. The women received parking tickets even though they backed in as required - because their tires were on the line.

Thompson said, "When we passed the ordinance (for back-in parking) there were a lot of good attributes for it, and a lot of questions about it. Now there are some issues with it and we need to take notice of this.

"There have been quite a few accidents and some hard feelings," continued Thompson. "I do know of one business that has relocated strictly because of the parking, and I heard a rumor that another one is about to relocate.

"As a business owner and a property owner in this community, that concerns me. When we passed the ordinance one of the biggest things we talked about was common sense. (This type of citation) sends the wrong message. I don't have an answer, but I want to go on record that there are some things that are not working with the reverse diagonal parking," concluded Thompson.

Economic Development Manager Patty Cordoni addressed the council confirming the rumor: "There is in fact another business that is going to move because their clients don't want to back-in park," she said. "I have had many comments that businesses do not want to be on Main Street (sic) because of the back-in parking."

Mayor Brad Boyd asked Public Works Director Paul Bertagna to investigate the consequences of restriping Main Avenue back to conventional diagonal parking.

"If we were to restripe it, what would be the consequences as far as our grant or the Cascade Avenue project?" said Boyd.

ODOT was the grant source for the Main Avenue upgrade through their bicycle and pedestrian program.

Bertagna indicated that he would first check with ODOT, and if there was not a roadblock there, he would then prepare for the council a what-if cost scenario to change the parking back to head-in diagonal. Bertagna pointed out that there would be parking space lost since the bulb-outs would be in the wrong direction.

Speaking to the violations themselves, Deschutes County Sheriff Lt. Paul Garrison said, "The Sheriff and Captain Utter (head of the Sisters sheriff's office) have stressed visual deterrence, education and (and then) compliance, in that order. The sheriff's department has attempted to write more written warnings as opposed to citations.

"Captain Utter has emphasized to all patrol personnel to use common sense and exercise discretion," Garrison continued. "That (ticketing the women) was not a good choice of action on the part of the deputies that wrote those citations."