MONROE - The Monroe Common Council postponed a vote Tuesday, Jan. 7 that could have created a safer no parking zone near Monroe Middle School, but a parking nightmare for residents.
Instead, the city will wait for a school district request to staff to go into action, which hopefully will clear up the congestion.
Recommended by the Public Safety Committee, the resolution, if passed by council, would install a no parking area on the south side of the 1600 block of 14th Street, east of the middle school, on school days between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Parking in the area is already "super limited," because so many residents have to park on the street, according to Tracey Reich, a resident on the block. Her own household has five licensed drivers and only a small driveway, and some residents have no driveways, she added. Reich admitted the city side street is narrow and can be a mess during winter snows, but, she added, it would be "detrimental to make any changes."
"Doing anything about it makes it worse for us," Reich told the council.
Adding to the congestion, she said, were school staff parking on the same street and parents using the area for dropping off and picking up children. Signs posted in the area indicate students are to be dropped off and picked up on 15th Avenue, the opposite side of the school building.
Alder Brooke Bauman made the motion to postpone the vote on the resolution, saying she had contacted the school district about the problem and the school administration was attempting to ease the congestion.
Bauman said a recent email was sent to school staff by Monroe School District Administrator Cory Hirsbrunner, who indicated "by having staff utilize the designated staff parking lots rather than the streets around the middle school, I think it will help this situation immensely."
The school has two parking lots on the north side of the school.
Not all council members were in favor of postponing the vote: Alders Michael Boyce and Tyler Schultz voted against the postponement. Boyce noted the congestion was a "safety and public works issue."
No date was set to review the problem.
Instead, the city will wait for a school district request to staff to go into action, which hopefully will clear up the congestion.
Recommended by the Public Safety Committee, the resolution, if passed by council, would install a no parking area on the south side of the 1600 block of 14th Street, east of the middle school, on school days between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Parking in the area is already "super limited," because so many residents have to park on the street, according to Tracey Reich, a resident on the block. Her own household has five licensed drivers and only a small driveway, and some residents have no driveways, she added. Reich admitted the city side street is narrow and can be a mess during winter snows, but, she added, it would be "detrimental to make any changes."
"Doing anything about it makes it worse for us," Reich told the council.
Adding to the congestion, she said, were school staff parking on the same street and parents using the area for dropping off and picking up children. Signs posted in the area indicate students are to be dropped off and picked up on 15th Avenue, the opposite side of the school building.
Alder Brooke Bauman made the motion to postpone the vote on the resolution, saying she had contacted the school district about the problem and the school administration was attempting to ease the congestion.
Bauman said a recent email was sent to school staff by Monroe School District Administrator Cory Hirsbrunner, who indicated "by having staff utilize the designated staff parking lots rather than the streets around the middle school, I think it will help this situation immensely."
The school has two parking lots on the north side of the school.
Not all council members were in favor of postponing the vote: Alders Michael Boyce and Tyler Schultz voted against the postponement. Boyce noted the congestion was a "safety and public works issue."
No date was set to review the problem.