Editorial: Parking ban should make things safer

There has been a surprising amount of dissent over the past week about the city of Farmington’s decision to ban parking on 208th Street near the Farmington Middle School West fields. In comments on the Independent’s web page readers have complained that the move is a violation of their freedoms. Or that moving parking from the streets to the nearby parking lot will somehow create an even more dangerous situation.

We disagree. We’ve heard from enough people and seen enough problems to believe the situation along 208th was a problem that needed to be addressed. The accident last year in which a child was hit by a car while crossing Akin Road was the catalyst for this change, but people recognized problems well before that.

It’s not just a question of keeping kids safe when they cross the road, either. On busy days, when families were attending soccer games or dropping kids off for practices, 208th Street got congested. When that happened, traffic tended to back up onto Akin Road. That created congestion there. It was a mess. It was unsafe. And it needed to change.

This is not a question of freedoms. And it should not, as some have suggested, make the parking lot that will now handle more traffic significantly less safe. People drive more slowly in parking lots. They’re more aware of the people around them. Lots were built for parking. Roads were built for driving.

We know there are people who are happy with the change. We heard from one Farmington resident who, upon learning of the ban, declared it the best day of her life.

It will be inconvenient, sure. People will have to walk farther to watch their kids play. But ultimately it should be safer. And that’s what’s important.

Tags: middle school, parking ban, opinion, farmington