AGENDA #4g
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Consideration of Changes to On-Street Parking Regulations on Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle
DATE: January 23, 2006
PURPOSE
The following information responds to a petition submitted by Mr. Brian Payne requesting that the time limits for on-street Parking by Residential Permit Only on Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle be extended. Please refer to the attached area map (Attachment 1).
The attached ordinance would extend the existing hours of Parking by Residential Permit Only from “9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday” to “24-hours a day, 7-days a week”. Parking restrictions would continue to include both sides of Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle.
We recommend enactment of the attached ordinance.
At its January 9, 2006 meeting, the Town Council received a petition from Mr. Brian Payne, 1300 Mason Farm Road, requesting that the Council consider extending the current time-limits for on-street Parking by Residential Permit Only on Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle. Mr. Payne also requested that on-street parking be prohibited at all times on the south side of Mason Farm Road. A copy of the petition is provided in Attachment 2.
Mr. Payne stated that student commuters and University visitors regularly park on Whitehead Road and other nearby streets after 4:00 pm, sometimes blocking emergency vehicle access and reducing available parking for residents upon their return from work at the end of the day.
Whitehead Road is a paved 18-feet-wide street with no curb-and-gutter or sidewalks. Whitehead Circle is a paved 21-feet-wide street with no curb-and-gutter or sidewalks. The posted speed limit is 25 mph on both streets. Under the current parking regulations for Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle, vehicles are permitted to park by residential permit on both sides of the street between the hours of 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
DISCUSSION
We conducted field observations at various times on different days. We observed drivers parking their vehicles along Whitehead Road after 4:00 pm and leaving the neighborhood on foot. We also observed drivers parking their vehicles along Whitehead Road, Whitehead Circle and Mason Farm Road prior to University events and leaving the neighborhood on foot. In some instances, the on-street parking resulted in restricted travel lanes and limited parking availability for residents.
We surveyed all residents/property owners on Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle and solicited comments regarding the requested change in on-street parking regulations. We mailed 26 survey forms and 18 responses were returned to us, 12 supporting and 6 opposing the requested change in on-street parking regulations.
We agree with the petitioner and residents that the demand for on-street parking on Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle may increase as a result of continuing University development in the area. Based on the survey results and our field observations, we recommend extending the period of regulated on-street parking on Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday; to 24 hours a day, 7-days a week.
If the Council enacts the attached ordinance, Town staff will install the appropriate parking regulation signs and replace damaged signs noted during our inspection.
The petitioner also requested restriction of on-street parking on the south side of Mason Farm Road. Under the current regulations, on-street parking is currently prohibited on both sides of Mason Farm Road between East Drive and Fordham Boulevard, and we found that the appropriate no parking signs are erected on the street. We will call this matter to the attention of the Town’s Parking Enforcement Division and the Police Department, and request that additional enforcement activities be implemented in this area to the extent possible with available resources.
MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
The Manager recommends enactment of the attached ordinance that would change the existing on-street Parking by Residential Permit Only regulations on both sides of Whitehead Road and Whitehead Circle from “9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday” to “24-hours a day, 7-days a week”.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Area Map (p. 4).
2. Petition (p. 5).
