OTTAWA — A city crew has started the work to install back-in parking stalls on Hickory Street west of city hall. The back-in stalls are an experiment. Back-in parking isn’t all that much different from parallel and standard angle parking, said city planning and codes director Wynndee Lee. Like parallel parking, the driver enters the stall by stopping and backing up. When leaving the stall, the driver can pull out of the stall and has a better view of the oncoming traffic. The new style should eliminate the common cause of fender benders downtown, when people back out the regular angled parking stalls into traffic, she said. Back-in parking is also more convenient for loading and is safer for passengers leaving the vehicle and going to the sidewalk, she said. Other cities, including Topeka, have used back-in parking successfully, she said.
Monday, May 11, 3 p.m.
