Dear City Council,
I am very disappointed with how our city government has represented the interests of the residents of Middle Ave.
When the issue of eliminating parking was first raised several years ago, residents of Middle Ave. got together and submitted a petition on what our preference would be for the street after meeting with the mayor (Ray Mueller) at that time.
We stated that our preference is not to eliminate parking on both sides of the street where we live and instead limit parking during school commute hours ( 7 to 9 am and 2 to 4 pm on school days). This would have been a good compromise for the safety of children going to and from school as well as the residents’ need for occasional street parking for guests and vendors.
Now that the project is back proceeding, it appears that none of our suggestions have been incorporated and that our inputs from earlier were completely ignored.
City government needs to balance the interests of different constituencies and eliminating parking on both sides would completely disregard the interests of Middle Ave. residents. Removing parking 24/7 is unnecessary and completely unwarranted.
I urge City Council to reconsider and select Time Restricted Parking as the most appropriate option for residents, pedestrians, and bicyclist for Middle Ave.
Although most of the residents of Middle Ave. favor time resisted parking and given the current and limited options that is currently presented, I urge city council to choose Option 2 – Remove parking on one side (South side of Middle).
I have lived on Middle since 2000 and have never seen any issues with the current configuration. By trying to eliminate parking you are solving a problem that does not exist and creating a huge burden for the Middle Ave residents.
Sincerely,
Anthony Enerio
1370 Middle Ave
