Draper to consider street parking during winter months

New parking regulations are being discussed by the Draper City Council to find a compromise between the need for snow removal in specific areas and the increasing need for parking in the same areas.

During winter, parking becomes more restrictive to allow snowplows access to the roads. This has created a problem with the residents who have become dependent on street side parking.

“Townhomes and condos are the areas with the biggest problems with winter parking rules in the city,” Draper City Public Relations spokesperson Maridene Hancock said. “There is just not enough parking for the amount of drivers in these areas.”

The current city ordinances prohibit on-street parking from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. from Nov. 15 through April 15. According to Draper City Public Works Director David Decker, citizens are frustrated and more are filing complaints about the tickets they have received for parking overnight in their neighborhoods.

“Our goal has always been to do whatever allows snowplows to clear snow the fastest,” he said. “But in this case, because of the way the development was planned, they have asked us to expand the city parking.”

The city council and public works committee have been discussing the need to change the parking rules from no parking to one-side of the street parking. Residents would be able to park on the left side of the street one-day and the right side of the street the next day. The snow removal would then be scheduled for alternating sides of the street as well.

“I am glad to know that the city is considering the alternate side of the street parking. It would really help the situation,” Draper resident Bryan Jacobs said. “We have extended family living with us and family who come to visit often and it would be nice to at least have one side of the street available to them.”

Councilmember Jeff Stenquist lives in one of the areas that struggle with parking during the winter season. As a resident affected by these rules, parking on opposite sides of the road would help, Stenquist said.

Senior Band Road is currently the only street in Draper that has this alternate parking available. In his presentation to the council, Decker explained that the alternating parking had made a compromise between the residents’ need for parking and the opportunity for snow removal.

“Inadequate parking is a growing issue that stems partly from the economic hardships we face today,” Decker said. “Townhomes and condos were meant to be starter homes for small families. Once the children became driving age it was predicted that the families would move into larger neighborhoods with more parking. The struggling economy and job market has caused people to rethink their housing situations. Sometimes we have multiple kids of driving age living in the same townhome.”

The city council is still discussing the issue and the public is encouraged to express their concerns and suggestions. More information can be found on the city website.