By Jack Perdek
On March 7, City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow officially lifted the overnight winter parking ban effective immediately.
The city of Oswego previously required tenants of residents in the city to move their vehicles to neutral locations in order to ensure the safety of the roads and snow removal. Barlow exclaimed that the ban was productive and he was happy to see the university and city handle the change effectively.
“Thanks to the winter parking ban, we were able to clear the roads safely and efficiently throughout the winter to ensure safe travel,” Barlow said. “I appreciate the cooperation from our residents and commend the men and women of the Oswego Department of Public Works for another job well done cleaning our streets and handling water breaks and other issues in harsh weather conditions.”
The ban, which was in effect from Jan. 23 to March 7, permitted residents of the city to eight locations: Wright’s Landing marina, Breitbeck bell tower, Parking lots on Burkle Street, Fort Pool W 1st and Cayuga Street Lot, West 1st Street on the south of the Post Office, Bronson Street between Ontario and Dorcas, and lastly W Schuyler Street between Governor and Liberty Street.
An issue for off-campus commuters to SUNY Oswego such as senior Zachary Gannett was the inability to go back and forth to these locations. For someone who lives on West Mohawk Street, the closest of these eight locations would be the post office which in the elements of the winter, would be about a 10-minute walk. For Gannett, he feels that the city should expand upon locations that would make his commute back home easier.
“If they are gonna have community-wide parking bans in the streets after certain times then they should have more community lots available,” Gannett said. “Not everyone may have the option to shove as many cars as they can into a driveway like me and my housemates did.”
At the same time, Gannett understands that the parking ban is a necessity for the city and that snow removal is a positive element of the community.
“I think the parking ban is a good idea,” Gannett said, “Obviously you need to get the streets as clear as possible when it is snowing and cars in the way can make that an issue because you are not clearing all the roads if there is a car in the way.”
Another off-campus commuter who shares similar views on the ban to Gannett is that of William Bowling.
“I think that the ban is a nuance,” Bowling said. “It adds stress to the stressful life of a college student, and I think if there is no snow on the ground the ban should be automatically lifted.”
Students are now able to park anywhere with legal parking in the street, and should stay up to date with mayor Barlow’s facebook updates regarding the ban in the event of another storm. Find the page on a facebook search “Mayor Billy Barlow”.
Image via Zachary Gannett
