Diagonal Parking Won't Work Today on Main Street Longmont

Last night, the Economic Vitality Advisory Group delivered its report, including a recommendation to bring back diagonal parking on Main Street, and returning to a two-lane street instead of four.

It's a good idea, in my opinion, but won't be viable unless you route the busy US-287 highway off Main Street, as well. walkinginfo.org says it best:

Diagonal parking may require more attention to improve visibility at crossings and intersections, and it should not be used on high speed or busy streets.

Imagine the frustration and accident potential of attempting to back out of Main Street diagonal parking with a steady wall of traffic behind you. And most of that traffic is just interested in getting through town as rapidly as possible; courtesy and politeness will likely be secondary instincts in driver behavior.

And on another Longmont traffic note, longtime chief traffic engineer Joe Olson has left for Ft. Colllins. I didn't see this mentioned anywhere, or if a replacement has been announced yet within the City, but we'll need someone of similar talent if we want Main Street to be re-architected correctly.