Magnolia Industrial Group, Inc.

To Diagonal Park Or Not: MIG Discusses Space-Saving Measure

Jan 21, 2004

At the December 17 meeting of the Magnolia Industrial Group (MIG), City Traffic Engineer Hector Rivas told members that diagonal parking might not work in the MIG area.
Many MIG business owners have complained in recent months that there are not enough spaces on the streets for their employees to park when they come in each day. The MIG board has been investigating diagonal parking options for more than a year.
The MIG petitioned the city?’s Traffic Engineering Bureau in September of 2002 to have the diagonal lines put in, but was denied. However, the board believes the situation has worsened to the point where the engineers might change their minds.
A street that qualifies for diagonal parking, Rivas said, has elements such as a particular width (minimum width from curb to curb is 48 feet) and it must have a specific turning radius for trucks. Rivas said it might not be worth the effort to create diagonal parking on MIG streets such as 16th Street. "This is an area with a lot of driveways and loading docks," Rivas said. "Diagonal parking could end up eliminating parking spaces, so the gain would be offset by the loss of several parking spaces."
Much of the traffic in the MIG area requires a wide turning radius at intersections, Rivas told MIG members. Only vehicles less than 20 feet in length can use diagonal parking so the width of the street is very important. Diagonal parking could cause the loss of spaces at driveways and intersections. "If you have more than two or three driveways on that street, you don?’t gain anything," Rivas said.
MIG Chair Ed Van asked Boardmember Anita Farley-Eversoft to meet with Rivas and discuss the pros and cons of the diagonal parking issue and to report to the group at their February meeting. Van told Farley-Eversoft, "It looks like you?’ve got a good guy here to work with in City Hall and that?’s a home run right there."