Traffic safety committee delays Smith Avenue parking restriction, recommends citywide approach

The Sherwood Traffic Safety Committee on a citizen request to restrict parking on Smith Avenue near the Meineke/Hillside corner and decided to table the item for one month while staff gathers applicable data and drafts a citywide recommendation to the City Council. Committee members said parked cars near the corner reduce sight lines and can make left turns difficult; they repeatedly referenced state parking distances — 20 feet from crosswalks and 50 feet from traffic-control devices — as the baseline for action.

The request (2025-017) was raised during the committee's public comment period; a resident described vehicles parked close to the corner that, in their view, obstruct turning drivers and sight lines. Committee members debated whether the issue is unique to the reported location or a recurring, citywide pattern that would require consistent rules and enforcement. Several members said the parking-pattern problem — narrow residential streets with…