John Koenig

Walking down McKinley Avenue at noon on Tuesday, five of the 16 cars parked on the street had a white slip of paper tucked under the left windshield wiper. However, in the coming weeks, parking tickets on streets surrounding the university will be less common.

The Eau Claire City Council voted at its Jan. 10 meeting to eliminate two-hour parking restrictions on McKinley, Garfield and Roosevelt avenues, as well as on Wilson Street.

The elimination of two-hour parking will be effective once the ordinance is published, which should be early February, according to Eau Claire Interim Manager and Public Works Director Brian Amundson.

The removal of two-hour parking is coupled with a doubling of the number of feet that parking is restricted on either side of driveways, fire hydrants and crosswalks in the Third Ward-University Parking District, which will be implemented July 1.

“The residents in the area believe this will improve safety,” Amundson said.

Vice Chancellor Andy Soll said the university did not object to either the removal of two-hour parking or increased setbacks, but the university recommended a study to research where setbacks were necessary for safety, rather than apply them universally.

“The impact that all these changes will have is not completely clear,” Soll said. “I think we need to put them in place and see how it goes.”

Amundson estimates about 90 driveways will be affected by the latest restrictions, which increase setbacks from four feet to eight feet on each side.

In addition, setbacks on either side of crosswalks will be increased to 15 feet, and parking will be restricted within 20 feet of fire hydrants.

Amundson said the city has not yet predicted how many parking spots will be eliminated by the setbacks.

Junior Ryan Luthi said he parks on streets in the Third Ward a couple times a week. Luthi, who lives near Water Street, said he mainly drives to campus to save time.

“This way, at least I’m across the bridge and right by where I need to be, so if I have obligations after my day, then I can get to those in a timely manner,” he said. “Walking across the bridge sometimes takes 10 to 15 minutes. Plus, it’s freezing.”

The latest restrictions will also cost the City of Eau Claire up to $9,000, as the city will have to place signs on either side of the new restrictions, which surpass those set by the state.

Each sign, Amundson said, could cost $50 to $100, depending on the cost of labor.
In the summer of 2004, university and city officials met with Third Ward residents and discussed a total of 41 ideas as solutions to multiple problems, such as blocked driveways and poor visibility at intersections. In September of that year, the City Council voted to increase setbacks from street corners on Garfield, McKinley and Roosevelt avenues, eliminating three to four parking spots on each street.

Eau Claire City Councilman Toby Biegel, who represents the Third Ward neighborhood, said the Third Ward Neighborhood Association may take further action if traffic congestion isn’t relieved by the new restrictions.

“I think that this is a genuine act in hopes that this helps alleviate the problem,” Biegel said, “but I think that if this doesn’t have the desired impact (Third Ward residents) will persue other options.”