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CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE O-1617-19 UPON SECOND AND FINAL READING: AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING SECTION 20-807(11)OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF NORMAN TO ADD DESIGNATED TIMES AND COMMERCIAL LOADING AND UNLOADING ZONES ON SPECIFIC STREETS IN THE CAMPUS CORNER AREA FOR VEHICLES WIDER THAN 6.5 FEET AND ADDING SECTION 14-311(C) TO ESTABLISH FINES AND COSTS FOR VIOLATIONS; AND PROVIDING FOR THE SEVERABILITY THEREOF.
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BACKGROUND: The merchants and property owners in the Campus Corner area requested the City Council consider an Ordinance amendment that specifically addresses parking for commercial loading and unloading on Campus Corner. Commercial vehicles parking in traffic lanes and blocking traffic flow has been a continued problem for some time on Campus Corner.
On September 29, 2016, the Community Planning and Transportation Committee (CPT) met with Staff, Campus Corner merchants and property owners to discuss commercial loading zones in the Campus Corner area. Specifically, the request was to amend Sec. 20-807 “Parking, stopping and standing prohibited in other areas” of the Norman City Code. At the conclusion of the CPT meeting, committee members recommended the amended Ordinance be forwarded to the Council for comment.
Legal staff, along with the Public Works Department and the Norman Police Department, presented the proposed amendment, and other options, to the City Council on November 8, 2016, at its Council conference. At that meeting, the Council recommended that the proposed amendment move forward for formal Council consideration.
DISCUSSION: There are three commercial loading zones in the Campus Corner area for loading and off-loading. The only zone capable of handling large vehicle deliveries is along the east side of Asp Avenue north of Boyd Street. The first fifteen metered spaces north of Boyd Street are reserved for commercial loading between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. After 10:00 a.m., these spaces become regular on-street metered spaces available to the general public. Large delivery trucks loading and off-loading between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. are prohibited to accommodate parking needs of customers of Campus Corner businesses. Despite the designated commercial loading hours of 3:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., commercial vehicles continued to provide deliveries from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., often loading and off-loading in one of the traffic lanes and blocking traffic flow.
In an attempt to discourage commercial deliveries during times that unnecessarily block traffic flow, the proposed Ordinance amendment would restrict a vehicle wider than 6.5 feet on the public streets in the “Campus Corner area” between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday. The amended Ordinance defines the “Campus Corner area” as the 500 blocks of S. University Blvd. and Buchanan, the 200 and 300 blocks of Boyd St., the 700 block of Asp Avenue, the 300 block of White Street, and the alleyway between Asp Avenue and DeBarr Street from Boyd Street to Duffy Street. The large delivery vehicles would continue to be allowed to load and off-load in the marked commercial loading areas between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Regulatory signs would be placed in the area that prohibits vehicles wider than 6.5 feet between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. Parking Service Officers would be dispatched to issue citations for any violation of the amended Ordinance.
Currently, Sec. 20-807(6)(b) allows the expeditious loading or unloading of freight, for a time period not to exceed ten (10) minutes on any public street. Recognizing that larger delivery trucks would not likely be able to accommodate the ten minute time period, the Ordinance amendment would make inapplicable this provision in the “Campus Corner area” regarding vehicles wider than 6.5 feet.
Sec. 14-311(c) of the Norman City Code states specific fine amounts for various parking violations such as expired meter, excess of time, fire lane, handicapped parking, registration violations, blocking the sidewalk and private parking and an increased amount if paid after five days. All other parking violations paid within five days are $20 and $30 if paid after five days. Discussion at the Council conference suggested increasing the fine for this Ordinance amendment to an amount that would discourage large delivery trucks from parking and blocking the traffic flow. Sec. 14-311(c) would be amended to specifically state the fine for violating Sec. 20-807(11) would be $100 if paid within five days and would increase to the maximum amount of $200 if paid after five days.
RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above and foregoing, the Ordinance amendment as described is being forwarded to City Council for formal consideration.