Parking regulations to be reviewed

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

Procedures to enforce parking regulations within the town of Wytheville – particularly on Main Street – are expected to be implemented soon. While some are in place, others are being determined.
In a report Monday night to Wytheville Town Council, Vice Mayor Jackie King said the town’s budget committee had received several recent complaints from downtown businesses concerning parking violations. She noted they pertained to other business owners and employees parking in the two-hour parking spaces along Main Street.
“The businesses who have made the inquiries have noted that some merchants in the downtown area go to considerable effort to prevent getting a parking ticket while they continue to park along Main Street,” King stated. “These efforts include removal of the chalk mark from the tires as well as merely moving the vehicle every two hours up or down the street by one space. Clearly, the intent of the parking regulations in the downtown area is to provide parking for customers of the various entities.”
King also pointed out that several years ago – primarily at the request of downtown businesses – a parking enforcement officer was hired to enforce parking regulations around town and particularly in the two-hour parking zones in the downtown area. The parking enforcement officer, she said, also monitors appropriate use of handicap parking spaces throughout the town.
“We do, in fact, have the enforcement procedure for those persons who remove the chalk mark from the tires,” King said.
There is a $15 fine for anyone convicted of such a charge.
While her committee received the complaints, King requested the public works committee to meet with a representative from the Wytheville Police Department to determine what procedures can be implemented to enforce the parking regulations.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or wquesenberry@wythenews.com.