Angled parking out in Springville

SPRINGVILLE — Parallel parking continues to replace diagonal spots along 400 South as Springville drives to straighten out the curb line from Main to 1300 East over the protests of a local businessman.

On Tuesday, the City Council approved removing the rest of angled parking from 300 East to 400 East, while repaving and restriping the entire stretch to 1300 East.

City leaders are moving ahead on improving the highly traveled thoroughfare because of favorable construction bids that came in lower than expected. Originally planned as three phases going into next year, the entire project can now be completed this year, said public-works director Brad Stapley.

The three phases originally totaled $2.26 million, but because of the favorable bidding climate, bids totaled $1.6 million, Stapley said.

The city began removing angled parking along the street in 2006, when it changed the parking pattern from Main to 300 East, including in front of the Springville Museum of Art.

However, commercial building owner Jud Harward argued that by changing the curb line in front of his building at 400 South and 400 East, cars would stick out farther in traffic than with angled parking. The city can fit about two spaces of parallel parking for every five angled parking spaces it takes out.

"I don't know where they come up with this," Harward said of the change to parallel parking. "They did some study or read some green book … We've had no problem for 50 years with angled parking."

Six businesses in his building would lose parking spaces under the plan, he said.

"Please don't knife us in the back … Please don't shoot us," Harward told the council before the vote went against him.

City leaders said traffic has increased along 400 South to the point that backing out of angled parking has become too dangerous. Councilman Phil Bird said much of the heavy traffic along that route comes from Mapleton and is expected to increase as that city grows.

E-mail: rodger@desnews.com