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Committee recommends ban on parking within 10 feet of crosswalks, with education and warning period
Summary
Northampton’s Legislative Matters Committee voted to recommend an ordinance that prohibits parking within 10 feet of either side of a crosswalk whether signed or not; members emphasized outreach, targeted signs or paint for problem spots, and a temporary warning period before enforcement.
The Legislative Matters Committee on Nov. 10 recommended that the City Council adopt an ordinance amending the city’s crosswalk parking rule to prohibit parking within 10 feet of either side of a crosswalk, regardless of whether a sign is posted.
Councilor Jarrett, speaking for the measure, said the change responds to recurring sight-line concerns such as at the Chestnut Street rail-trail crossing. "Education will be important about this change," Jarrett said, noting Parking Administration suggested issuing warnings for an initial period so habitual parkers receive notice before citations are issued.
Committee members discussed outreach methods, including targeted signs or paint in chronic problem areas, city newsletters, and notices to affected businesses and property owners. Staff and councillors agreed that mailing notices to every property adjacent to every crosswalk would be impractical; they favored public outreach and a temporary warning phase to alert regular parkers.
Public commenters and Councilors also raised safety tradeoffs at rail-trail crossings where sight lines for bicyclists and trail users differ from roadway sight lines; Chris Stratton asked the committee to post the engineering or safety assessment reports used to justify control changes so residents can review the data.
The committee moved for and recorded a positive recommendation to the council on the crosswalk parking-prohibition ordinance. Staff said Parking Administration would consider an initial warning period and targeted mitigation (signage or paint) in known problem spots before full enforcement.
