Columbia Public Works hosted an interested parties meeting Thursday night to discuss possible parking regulation strategies for East Campus streets. Supervising Traffic Engineer Richard Stone said the meeting offered valuable insight regarding residents’ needs.
“What we’re trying to do is gather information from local residents, to see what they would like to have occur,” said Stone. “So that we can make a reasonable recommendation to city council.”
The meeting allowed for an open discussion between East Campus residents and city workers. Though unregulated parking has been an issue in East Campus for many years, resident Janet Hammen said Thursday’s meeting made real progress.
“I think we came to some good results,” said Hammen. “We reached a lot of agreement, we have some other details to work out but I think we’ve come a long ways and we’re ready to continue moving forward.”
Hammen said East Campus residents actively work to preserve the character and the history of their neighborhood. She said finding a solution is important because beyond the mere inconvenience imposed on residents, parking problems can pose safety risks to everyone who drives through East Campus.
Stone says he will take the suggestions of those in attendance and file them in a report for city council. City council will then decide the final course of action.
