People illegally parking on Main Street aren’t just violating rules for the street. They are also violating the city ordinance against parking on sidewalks.
And yet, it continues.
One excuse has been that many of the people parking there are workmen or construction workers.
And yet, the parking laws don’t give a pass to these people’s vehicles. It is still unsafe and disrupts Main Street’s walkability.
For example, there seems to always be trucks in front of Commerce Square that are blocking the sidewalk and forcing pedestrians and bicyclists out onto the trolley tracks. In order to let these people park wherever they want, they are given the sidewalk and their needs are put above pedestrians.
Instead of acting like it’s not a problem for them to block the sidewalk, how about arranging for free parking just around the corner on Monroe Avenue?
The priority should be to keep open the walking paths on Main Street. After all, downtowns that work are walkable and easy-to-navigate for pedestrians.
How about solving this with new approaches that provide parking off Main Street instead of taking a laissez faire approach that nothing can be done?
As an earlier blog post said, it’s Main Street’s version of the broken window theory. If you can park anywhere, you can treat Main Street anyway you like.
February 16, 2023: Main Street Is Shameful; There’s An Agreement That Could Fix It
January 26, 2023: Main Street Improved And The Forgotten Agreement To Maintain It
Downtown Memphis Commission does issue passes that allow workmen to park on the Mall. These are typically yellow and are to be displayed in the windshield of the vehicle. Any vehicles without these passes should be ticketed and/or towed.
There’s really no basis for issuing these passes. These workmen tend to stay parked there all day. Spaces on the side streets should be set aside for them. Towing would for sure break illegal parkers.