MONROE - One woman asked the Monroe City Council Tuesday night not to pass a resolution authorizing Monroe Middle School to make the 1400 block of 15th Avenue one-way during morning rush hour.
Despite the concern, the Council unanimously passed the resolution after Alderman Chuck Koch asked to hear from Police Chief Fred Kelley about the issue.
Tracy Reich, who lives on 15th Avenue, asked the council to find another way to ease congestion between 7:30 to 8 a.m. when the school had asked to allow only northbound traffic.
Reich said she was worried that making 15th Avenue one-way would lead to more vehicles stopping on 16th Avenue to drop off students, creating a "bigger hazard for kids who are not supervised and monitored."
Sixteenth Avenue is the only street around the school that has no parking.
Reich said more students who walk approach the school from 16th Avenue, and more bike racks are on that side. But that side of the school is not controlled as it is on 15th Avenue.
Making 15th Avenue one-way for a short period each day would be disrupting and confuse people, Reich said.
Kelley told the council that the school had done a traffic count on 15th Avenue and found 7:30 to 8 a.m. had the highest traffic. The Public Safety Committee found "enough evidence to do one-way, rather than not," he said.
He concurred with Reich that parking on one side of the avenue increased congestion, but said both teachers and residents parked there.
But "as long as signs are posted, confusion will go away," he said.
Reich has three children attending middle school. They have only to walk across the street to get to school.
But she said she and her husband are afraid to "make too big a fuss" for fear that the city might "take away" all parking on the avenue. That would leave her and her husband with no place to park in front of their house.
"And you're not allowed to park on the grass," she said.
While Reich is happy to see teachers are staying late at school to help with student activities, Reich said they take up "every side street" for parking, when they could be using the school's parking lot across 13th Street on the north side.
"I have to park two blocks away when I come home from work, because teachers take up all the parking spaces in the street," Reich said.
Reich said she was not aware of the plan to restrict traffic on 15th Avenue until she read the official school board minutes in The Monroe Times. She contacted Principal Van Meer who said there was nothing the school could do about parking on the streets.
The resolution place responsibility on the school for the purchase, installation and removal of official signs each school day.
Despite the concern, the Council unanimously passed the resolution after Alderman Chuck Koch asked to hear from Police Chief Fred Kelley about the issue.
Tracy Reich, who lives on 15th Avenue, asked the council to find another way to ease congestion between 7:30 to 8 a.m. when the school had asked to allow only northbound traffic.
Reich said she was worried that making 15th Avenue one-way would lead to more vehicles stopping on 16th Avenue to drop off students, creating a "bigger hazard for kids who are not supervised and monitored."
Sixteenth Avenue is the only street around the school that has no parking.
Reich said more students who walk approach the school from 16th Avenue, and more bike racks are on that side. But that side of the school is not controlled as it is on 15th Avenue.
Making 15th Avenue one-way for a short period each day would be disrupting and confuse people, Reich said.
Kelley told the council that the school had done a traffic count on 15th Avenue and found 7:30 to 8 a.m. had the highest traffic. The Public Safety Committee found "enough evidence to do one-way, rather than not," he said.
He concurred with Reich that parking on one side of the avenue increased congestion, but said both teachers and residents parked there.
But "as long as signs are posted, confusion will go away," he said.
Reich has three children attending middle school. They have only to walk across the street to get to school.
But she said she and her husband are afraid to "make too big a fuss" for fear that the city might "take away" all parking on the avenue. That would leave her and her husband with no place to park in front of their house.
"And you're not allowed to park on the grass," she said.
While Reich is happy to see teachers are staying late at school to help with student activities, Reich said they take up "every side street" for parking, when they could be using the school's parking lot across 13th Street on the north side.
"I have to park two blocks away when I come home from work, because teachers take up all the parking spaces in the street," Reich said.
Reich said she was not aware of the plan to restrict traffic on 15th Avenue until she read the official school board minutes in The Monroe Times. She contacted Principal Van Meer who said there was nothing the school could do about parking on the streets.
The resolution place responsibility on the school for the purchase, installation and removal of official signs each school day.