Will you please consider extending the rule to include Main Avenue between 9th and 13th? As a Main Avenue property owner, I can attest to the danger of having to pull out of diagonal parking spaces when you are next to a pickup truck. Please think this out a little better. If you confine this rule just to Phillips, all these trucks will then use Main Avenue diagonal parking. Traffic is much faster on main given the two lanes of southbound traffic. Your vehicle has to be out in the lane of traffic before you can see past a pickup next to you.
Although that may be an inconvenience to some drivers because so many people are driving large pickups these days, it would indeed be a lot safer. Not only does one have to cross the line coming down Phillips Avenue, to be able to get past these large vehicles, it is also dangerous and difficult when backing out into the street from a space next to the large pick up because you can't see around them to see what traffic is coming before you back out. Certainly worth considering.
That's some great logic. I'm going to walk down Phillips swinging a stick around. What's the problem? No one forces you to walk down Phillips. I have a right to swing my stick.
No one forces anyone to be sane. Those trucks are a menace. Parking restrictions are needed. Put them in 8th & RR. The fat-ass drivers would get some needed cardio walking to Phillips - 300 ft each way.
Nope, minivan. But I'm not an idiot. Anyone who has driven on Phillips knows that these trucks are a menace. In many cases, the wheel is not even touching the curb.
My husband and I say this every time we drive down Phillips - park your long bed king cab truck on a side street parallel to the curb, not diagonal into oncoming traffic!
This tight street is another problem created by the city, nearly as bad as the disastrous mall from years ago. When both Phillips and Main were one way streets traffic flow was better. Bump outs and businesses using sidewalks for their operations create impediments to the flow of pedestrians and vehicles. Sioux Falls has spent millions of taxpayer money to create a place for elites to live. There is little affordable housing in the downtown area.
I don’t oppose the new development being proposed downtown but it is another example of building venues that leave out the lower earners in our town. I’m a middle class conservative but see the need to have options for ALL citizens. With two parents working and high costs for childcare many families don’t have a lot of disposable income for the city subsidized entertainment venues we have now.
"affordable housing in the downtown area" - this is yet another liberal wack idea. Affordable housing is important, but where it is placed should be defined by market forces.
I think this is *probably* needed as I've seen several very long vehicles (not just pick ups) parked there and they can be hard to get around with oncoming traffic, as well as back up into Phillips.
But I wonder how easy it will be to enforce, how it will be received, and how will you let people know?
Before the rule goes into effect, a significant effort should be made to let people know it's coming.
In response to Curt Seohl's public comment during the informational discussion, I emailed the city council:
Thank You for Your public comment in concern to the ordinance proposal to limit parking on Phillips Ave. To answer your question, Phillips Ave moved to diagonal parking on or around 1975. I have concerns with this change, as I see consequences that will lead to unenforceable procedures. Unless the goal is to restrict public parking downtown, this as you stated, would hurt downtown commerce. My fear, is ever since 1961 there has been this movement to remove ALL motor vehicles from downtown itself, and I cite S.D.C.L 9-51 below:
It is hereby declared that the free circulation of traffic through the streets of any municipality is necessary to the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; that the greatly increased use by the public of motor vehicles and the parking of such vehicles in the streets and the lack of adequate off-street parking facilities creates congestion, obstructs the free circulation of traffic, diminishes property values and endangers the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; that the provision of conveniently located automobile parking facilities is therefore necessary to the exercise of the police power in the regulation and control of traffic and to alleviate such conditions, and the establishment of automobile parking facilities including off-street parking facilities is deemed to be a proper public or municipal purpose.
Since this statute was adopted, the movement to get vehicles off the street has increased with each new public parking garage, ramp, and lot created. The concern to me is, if we are restricting specific vehicles from street parking, what stops future governing bodies from removing more and more vehicles from street parking. The goal to many appears to simply get motor vehicles off the street all together.
This leads to increased tax revenues for the city itself, as for those who so choose to continue parking their F-350 pick ups along Phillips Ave will continue to do so, but now are forced to pay a civil penalty, which is nothing more than a class 2 misdemeanor, just another $90 dollar fine directed to the city treasury. Nothing really stops them from doing so again, they will gladly pay the fine for the convenience of shopping or doing business in Downtown Sioux Falls. A second concern, would be forcing these 'vehicles' into the parking garages/ramps which again, costs the residents time and money, pushing further away form the point of which they so choose to conduct their business.
But the # 1 concern is one that you have already made known, an ordinance such as this simply drives people away from Downtown Sioux Falls cause it stereotypically punishes those people who drive big trucks, or long, wheel base, midsize vehicles. I simply do not see any huge concern here, that calls for making this change at this point in time. I truly do not see how larger vehicles impede traffic anymore than the 15 mph speed limit as you pass through Downtown. In fact, to a degree, those larger vehicles perhaps help keep the speeds down, let alone makes people alert of their surroundings.
I would urge the City Council to vote NO on this ordinance change, let alone defer it to a later date, as Joe Batcheler had stated during public commentary. Let the business community have their say.
Sorry for the pickup owners, but it is definitely a necessity to make this change! An auto driver has no way to see if the pickup has a trailer hitch sticking out, which they usually do, and that makes it another problem plus the length of the truck! In regular driving on our streets, I stay a reasonable distance away from the pickup in front of me, because if you get rear ended, that hitch will raise a big problem with the damage it does to the front end of your vehicle!!! On Phillips Ave, it could scratch the whole passenger side of a car without the driver knowing, especially if they have their radio turned on!!!! Find a different parking space for them PLEASE!!!
Make the law bullet proof. Paint a line at the end of the parking pad parallel to the centerline. If the ludicrous truck/ginormous SUV is over tow and impound it with a $2000 fine, that automatically increases with the rate of inflation/the consumer price index. Simple to enforce - a photo is all the proof required. Rapid & the few other economic viable towns ought to adopt this. While it's irrelevant to the many dying near frontier towns.
Will you please consider extending the rule to include Main Avenue between 9th and 13th? As a Main Avenue property owner, I can attest to the danger of having to pull out of diagonal parking spaces when you are next to a pickup truck. Please think this out a little better. If you confine this rule just to Phillips, all these trucks will then use Main Avenue diagonal parking. Traffic is much faster on main given the two lanes of southbound traffic. Your vehicle has to be out in the lane of traffic before you can see past a pickup next to you.
Although that may be an inconvenience to some drivers because so many people are driving large pickups these days, it would indeed be a lot safer. Not only does one have to cross the line coming down Phillips Avenue, to be able to get past these large vehicles, it is also dangerous and difficult when backing out into the street from a space next to the large pick up because you can't see around them to see what traffic is coming before you back out. Certainly worth considering.
It's about time!
About time. The big pickups are a safety and traffic menace along that stretch of Phillips.
No one forces you to drive on Phillips Ave.
That's some great logic. I'm going to walk down Phillips swinging a stick around. What's the problem? No one forces you to walk down Phillips. I have a right to swing my stick.
Of course not, but that makes you walk blocks away to get to your destination! Doesn't make sense to me.
No one forces anyone to be sane. Those trucks are a menace. Parking restrictions are needed. Put them in 8th & RR. The fat-ass drivers would get some needed cardio walking to Phillips - 300 ft each way.
tell me you drive a prius without telling me you drive a prius.
Nope, minivan. But I'm not an idiot. Anyone who has driven on Phillips knows that these trucks are a menace. In many cases, the wheel is not even touching the curb.
Such a needed reform. These "big-butt" trucks are a huge hazard. They should go to a rectangular-parking lot. My wife and I note this all the time.
Right there in the 2nd Amendment is says it is my god-given right to park my big-assed pickup anywhere I want. Anywhere!
😂
My husband and I say this every time we drive down Phillips - park your long bed king cab truck on a side street parallel to the curb, not diagonal into oncoming traffic!
This tight street is another problem created by the city, nearly as bad as the disastrous mall from years ago. When both Phillips and Main were one way streets traffic flow was better. Bump outs and businesses using sidewalks for their operations create impediments to the flow of pedestrians and vehicles. Sioux Falls has spent millions of taxpayer money to create a place for elites to live. There is little affordable housing in the downtown area.
Peds flow just fine on Philips. Everything should not be optimized for cars, especially large ones.
I don’t oppose the new development being proposed downtown but it is another example of building venues that leave out the lower earners in our town. I’m a middle class conservative but see the need to have options for ALL citizens. With two parents working and high costs for childcare many families don’t have a lot of disposable income for the city subsidized entertainment venues we have now.
"affordable housing in the downtown area" - this is yet another liberal wack idea. Affordable housing is important, but where it is placed should be defined by market forces.
I think this is *probably* needed as I've seen several very long vehicles (not just pick ups) parked there and they can be hard to get around with oncoming traffic, as well as back up into Phillips.
But I wonder how easy it will be to enforce, how it will be received, and how will you let people know?
Before the rule goes into effect, a significant effort should be made to let people know it's coming.
the best way is to write tickets. No one pays attention to this stuff until there is money being charged. 6 month notice, then tickets.
I agree! Long vehicles make it difficult to navigate Phillips Ave.
In response to Curt Seohl's public comment during the informational discussion, I emailed the city council:
Thank You for Your public comment in concern to the ordinance proposal to limit parking on Phillips Ave. To answer your question, Phillips Ave moved to diagonal parking on or around 1975. I have concerns with this change, as I see consequences that will lead to unenforceable procedures. Unless the goal is to restrict public parking downtown, this as you stated, would hurt downtown commerce. My fear, is ever since 1961 there has been this movement to remove ALL motor vehicles from downtown itself, and I cite S.D.C.L 9-51 below:
It is hereby declared that the free circulation of traffic through the streets of any municipality is necessary to the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; that the greatly increased use by the public of motor vehicles and the parking of such vehicles in the streets and the lack of adequate off-street parking facilities creates congestion, obstructs the free circulation of traffic, diminishes property values and endangers the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; that the provision of conveniently located automobile parking facilities is therefore necessary to the exercise of the police power in the regulation and control of traffic and to alleviate such conditions, and the establishment of automobile parking facilities including off-street parking facilities is deemed to be a proper public or municipal purpose.
Since this statute was adopted, the movement to get vehicles off the street has increased with each new public parking garage, ramp, and lot created. The concern to me is, if we are restricting specific vehicles from street parking, what stops future governing bodies from removing more and more vehicles from street parking. The goal to many appears to simply get motor vehicles off the street all together.
This leads to increased tax revenues for the city itself, as for those who so choose to continue parking their F-350 pick ups along Phillips Ave will continue to do so, but now are forced to pay a civil penalty, which is nothing more than a class 2 misdemeanor, just another $90 dollar fine directed to the city treasury. Nothing really stops them from doing so again, they will gladly pay the fine for the convenience of shopping or doing business in Downtown Sioux Falls. A second concern, would be forcing these 'vehicles' into the parking garages/ramps which again, costs the residents time and money, pushing further away form the point of which they so choose to conduct their business.
But the # 1 concern is one that you have already made known, an ordinance such as this simply drives people away from Downtown Sioux Falls cause it stereotypically punishes those people who drive big trucks, or long, wheel base, midsize vehicles. I simply do not see any huge concern here, that calls for making this change at this point in time. I truly do not see how larger vehicles impede traffic anymore than the 15 mph speed limit as you pass through Downtown. In fact, to a degree, those larger vehicles perhaps help keep the speeds down, let alone makes people alert of their surroundings.
I would urge the City Council to vote NO on this ordinance change, let alone defer it to a later date, as Joe Batcheler had stated during public commentary. Let the business community have their say.
Sincerely,
Mike Zitterich
Resident of Sioux Falls
Big trucks are a hazard. There is no attempt to remove all vehicles. This is just hysterical blather.
Sorry for the pickup owners, but it is definitely a necessity to make this change! An auto driver has no way to see if the pickup has a trailer hitch sticking out, which they usually do, and that makes it another problem plus the length of the truck! In regular driving on our streets, I stay a reasonable distance away from the pickup in front of me, because if you get rear ended, that hitch will raise a big problem with the damage it does to the front end of your vehicle!!! On Phillips Ave, it could scratch the whole passenger side of a car without the driver knowing, especially if they have their radio turned on!!!! Find a different parking space for them PLEASE!!!
Make the law bullet proof. Paint a line at the end of the parking pad parallel to the centerline. If the ludicrous truck/ginormous SUV is over tow and impound it with a $2000 fine, that automatically increases with the rate of inflation/the consumer price index. Simple to enforce - a photo is all the proof required. Rapid & the few other economic viable towns ought to adopt this. While it's irrelevant to the many dying near frontier towns.