You can park your park-assist feature on your new car.
There’s more angle parking coming to downtown Prince George. Following up on the success of switching Fifth Avenue to angle parking earlier this year, DowntownPG made a pitch to city council Monday for more angle parking, only to discover that the city is already in the process of making some changes.
We’re happy that we’re moving ahead,” said Kirk Gable, DowntownPG vice-president. “Over the years, we’ve been to many cities where traffic pattern changes, bulb-outs, and angle parking are done with paint and some mobile street furniture. We would encourage the city move along in that direction.”
Gable, whose organization represents 300 properties and 500 businesses downtown, said Downtown PG would also like to see Seventh Avenue and Second Avenue switched to angle parking. In addition, it would like to see Second Avenue become a two-way street.
“Angle parking increases the number of on-street parking stalls for our customers,” he said. “It makes it faster and easier to park. It also has a traffic calming effect. By talking Fifth Avenue from four lanes down to two, with the bulb-outs, it slows people down, which is a good thing in a retail area.”
He said having a one-way, four-lane street, like Second Avenue, gives people “tacit approval” to drive fast.
He also encouraged council to consider putting planters in the bulb-outs created at intersections.
Public works director Gina Layte Liston said plans are in place for planters and paint next year in the bulb-outs. She added the city has hired an engineering consultant work on the angle parking, two-way conversion and four-way stops for Second Avenue. That report should be done by the end of 2017, she said. The report will include plans to deal with the Second Avenue and Queensway intersection, which has been identified as a trouble spot.
The ministry of transportation has already committed to installing lights at the First Avenue and Queensway intersection, which was also one of DowntownPG’s requests.
“I certainly can attest to the issue of pedestrian safety, especially on the one-way streets,” said Coun. Murry Krause. “Having worked downtown for many years, Second Avenue is like a freeway. It’s OK for able-bodied people, I can’t imagine how it is for seniors and disabled people to try and get across those major streets.”
Mayor Lyn Hall agreed.
“Second Avenue is a speedway, we need to do something with it,” said Hall.
