Basin Street residents tell Norristown council cars speed, parking enforcement creates hardship

Residents from Basin Street told council they face safety and parking problems stemming from speeding vehicles, motorists passing stopped school buses and strict enforcement of street-cleaning parking rules.

A resident who said she lives on the block between Powell and Swede streets described repeated car accidents and said she has asked the borough for speed bumps or other calming measures because she cannot let her children play in front of the house. “We've had a number of issues over the past years, including car accidents,” the resident said. “I can't let my kids play out in front of the street because I'm afraid somebody's going to come flying down the street and injure one of my kids.”

Other speakers said commercial vans and oversized vehicles used by local residents are taking up more than one parking space, and that parking enforcement officers have issued tickets as early as 7:00–7:30 a.m., complicating residents’ ability to park after overnight work shifts. Lillian Mayer, who identified herself as a Basin Street resident, asked repeatedly what time parking enforcement begins and said cars were ticketed at about 7:30 a.m. on a recent Wednesday even though residents had been told they could temporarily park on the left side for street cleaning.

A second resident who described herself as a neighbor said enforcement beginning at 6 or 7 a.m. was too early, and that the enforcement focus should be on commercial vehicles that remain on the street after the parking authority leaves. That speaker asked how residents could reach “Butterworth,” the person they named as responsible for resolving enforcement issues.

Council and staff did not adopt any measures during this meeting. The concerns were presented during the public comment portion of the agenda; residents requested review of the timing and application of street-cleaning parking rules and consideration of traffic calming on the block.

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