Houghton mulls street parking ban for Bridgefest
Houghton mulls street parking ban for Bridgefest
Visibility of children a concern for motorists
By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer
HOUGHTON — Parking along the streets during the Bridgefest parade might become a thing of the past.
During Wednesday’s Houghton City Council meeting, Mayor Eric Peterson said parked cars make it harder for drivers of parade vehicles to see children running out to pick up candy.
Allan Baker of Houghton, who has more than 20 years of experience driving in Bridgefest parades, said the frequency of children darting out from behind cars requires constant watching.
“It’s dangerous and scary, from a driver point of view,” he said.
Peterson suggested moving the parade to Saturday morning, when parking would be easier to regulate. Ticketing those cars along the road, he said, might also be a disincentive.
However, MacInnes said, clearing the streets of cars wouldn’t have much impact on overall behavior.
“If people are throwing candy ... parking or no parking, I don’t care what you say, kids are coming out,” he said.
Other options discussed by the council included moving all parking to one side of the street and eliminating parking along three or four blocks of the Parade of Nations route this year as a trial run.
In other action, the council:
• approved a wayfinder sign for the Pearl Street Mall complex. The design will measure 8 feet by 7 feet, and be mounted on four-foot steel posts. It replaces one put before the council two weeks ago, which featured external mounting posts that added four feet in width.
The council voted 6-1 in favor of the proposal. Peterson voted against it, citing philosophical opposition to business signage along College Avenue.
The facility will open in August.
• agreed to purchase four new buses in a federal- and state-funded agreement worth $260,045.
• purchased a new phone system for the City Centre for $12,000. The system will include 15 phones in the City Hall and Police Department, and will also introduce the capability of transferring calls to the Department of Public Works.
• hired a lifeguard for the Houghton Beach.
• approved changing the name of a street in Bresnan Estates from Sugar Maple Drive to Sugar Maple Lane.
Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com.
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