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Diagonal Parking on Prospect?

A certain Heights business owner (and now a Peoples Party trustee candidate) has consistently thrown out the need to return diagonal parking along Prospect, likely from Kelly Avenue on north (of course, on HIS side of the street only; parallel parking to remain on the other side of Prospect)... that this would help "solve the parking issues" in the Village, and possibly slow traffic down. In fact, he had a letter published in the Journal Star about a year or so ago, publicly calling out for diagonal parking to be installed on Prospect. When I say "return," I mean that diagonal parking was on Prospect (from what I've been told) up until the late 50s to early, early 60s.

Would this concept work again? Maybe... if it was 1961.

I do have to admit it would probably slow traffic down... to a complete standstill, mostly due to accidents.

Do you know what the average traffic count for this area of Prospect is? About THIRTEEN THOUSAND a day. It's an extremely busy road. Have you ever tried backing out of a diagonal parking spot at the Peoria post offices, on a reasonably busy day? Invariably, a van or a truck will park on one side or both sides of your vehicle... and you have to inch out... slowly, slowly... and hope to High Heaven that the traffic behind you is going slow, and that the drivers are watching for you, and... and...

And, that's at the POST OFFICE parking lot.

Well, try doing that with the traffic that goes along Prospect each and every day. The odds for collisions would increase dramatically. On top of that, if you have diagonal parking along Prospect, you will now have to condense the four lanes to two lanes of travel, as the road is not wide enough to do it any other way, if diagonal parking was brought back. So, the traffic (remember, THIRTEEN THOUSAND vehicles per day), that normally travels in the north or southbound TWO lanes would now be traveling in ONE north or southbound lane. The traffic along Prospect that someone would be trying to back into, for all intent and purpose, would now be DOUBLED in numbers.

A center turn lane will not make it any easier. Remember, it's ILLEGAL to pass a vehicle using a center turn lane... not to mention, very dangerous. What happens if a vehicle coming in the opposite direction decides to turn, just as you start to pass?

You're going to need a lot more than just good luck to back out safely. You're going to need a helicopter to lift you out of your spot.

Not to mention the havoc that would be caused with two lanes of travel, when a semi-truck stops to deliver goods to a business... that's right, traffic will STOP behind that truck till it moves. Because there is no longer any other lane to go into. The semi-trucks cannot negotiate the turns on the side streets, let alone the alleys behind the businesses, to try and deliver BEHIND the stores. They simply have to deliver at the front.

What does this all sound like to you? It sounds like a total and complete MESS to me. And, a dangerous one at that.

There are reasons why diagonal parking has not been brought back to Prospect Road, by ANYONE prior to our administration, as well. The main reason is safety.

There are those who wish that things could be like they were in 1961... when Peoria Heights was pretty much the northern-most destination along Prospect. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'd be surprised if the traffic count exceeded 1,000 cars a day back then. Well, since it is unlikely that we will ever see 1961 traffic count numbers again... it would be nice if those who expound on these "solutions" (i.e. diagonal parking on Prospect), would spend some time doing a very simple thing.

That would be: checking the calendar, in order to be reminded what year it is.