Shawano Street discussed
By Bert Lehman
Two areas of Shawano Street in New London will see new parking restrictions in the future.
At its April 16 meeting, the New London Common Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to add parking restriction areas to the north side of Wolf River Avenue and Shawano Street, as well as the south side of W Beacon Avenue and Shawano Street.
The council must approve a second reading of the ordinance before the ordinance takes effect.
Public Works meeting
At the April 8 New London Public Works meeting, Robert Garske, director of Public Works, told the committee that multiple complaints have been received for those two areas.
Garske said he has never seen vehicles parked in the area of question concerning Wolf River Avenue and Shawano Street, but has heard about instances when vehicles have been parked there. This has happened more often when there is a food truck parked across the street.
Garske said when vehicles park there, those vehicles are using up a portion of the driving lane.
“Not giving the motorists the room they need when coming around the corner, and they have to go over the divider, the double yellow (lines), to get around safely,” Garske said. “This area for sure would need something marked there, to let them know you can’t park there.”
The problem area involving West Beacon Avenue and Shawano Street was also explained by Garske.
“You have a three-way stop, with southbound Shawano traffic not having to stop,” Garske said. “A lot of traffic traveling southbound, not stopping on Shawano because they don’t have to, and trying to manipulate a lefthand turn with vehicles stopped at that stop bar, are having trouble getting around that vehicle, especially when there’s multiple stopped vehicles that are westbound on Beacon.”
He said drivers turning left are sometimes unsure if they can maneuver between the parked vehicle and stopped vehicle because of the narrow driving lane.