[OldNorth] On Sept 14, Linden Lane Gets Overnight Parking Ban

[John Lofland]

Next Tuesday, Sept. 14, the City Council is scheduled to approve an 
overnight parking ban on Linden Lane, which is just west of Anderson 
on the north side of Eighth.

I am told that one major reason for this ban is that students in the 
dorms who are not supposed to have cars have them anyway and store 
them on Linden Lane. They go this far north of the campus because all 
the area between the campus and Linden Lane already bans overnight 
parking. Linden Lane has been the closest "free fire" zone on the 
north of an already a huge ban area.

I plan to be at the Council meeting and to address the Council yet 
again with my overlay map showing ON as a small green "free fire" 
parking area in a sea of red parking control (a few on this list will 
recall that bit of theatrics).

I will not oppose the extended area of parking ban. But, I will call 
attention to the fact that at least some of the displaced cars will 
find their way to the ON, the last remaining "free fire" zone for 
parking close to the campus.

(Indeed, I also notice that car storage in the ON is increasing, as 
is student assertion of the right to do so. In the 500 block of E, we 
have the current problem of a student who lives south of Fifth Street 
who asserts a right to store a car on the street in the 500 block of 
E.)

Mostly, though, I will draw back and suggest there is something 
fundamentally wrong about the direction in which we are going with 
students, other "outsiders," and their cars. I doubt we can much 
longer simply move them around and squeeze them. We need to go back 
to "square one."

Of course, the Council will ignore me. But I will have tried.

If anyone would like to give me company, I would welcome your presence. Thanks.

John Lofland