Resident petition leads to restricted parking hours on Princeton Street

By Melissa Christensen
Staff Reporter

Long-standing resident complaints about blocked driveways and inconvenient garbage and recycling collection have lead to restricted parking on the north side of the 2800 block of Princeton Street, said Jon Craver, a senior engineering technician for the Fort Worth Department of Transportation and Public Works.

Photo by David Dunai - Senior Photographer Matthew Clark, a TCU alumnus, rides his scooter past a vacant Prinecton Street. The Fort Worth Department of Transportation and Public Works installed signs Thursday prohibiting parking on the street between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on school days.

The department installed signs Thursday prohibiting parking between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on school days. The south side of the block has had that same limitation for several years.

Craver said two-thirds of homeowners and residents on the north side of the block presented a petition to the city at the end of February requesting the limitation.

“The 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. restriction seems to be common around residential areas where there is overflow parking,” he said.

Mayme Matson, a Princeton Street resident, said she has lived on the street for more than 45 years and said she is pleased the petition was accepted.

“We have been screaming about the parking for years,” she said. “Our driveways get blocked. Garbage trucks have to come real early, and so does the recycling company.”

Student reactions about the restriction were mixed.

Amy Sowards, a junior studio art major, said she often parks on the block because it is close to the Moudy Building, where most of her classes meet. She said she has never seen cars blocking driveways.

“It’s totally unreasonable to take away parking (during those hours),” she said. “That’s the only time we need to park there.”

However, Davin Snodgrass, a junior graphic design major, said the new parking lot behind the Beasley Building makes up for the lost parking on Princeton Street.

“Between dodging pedestrian traffic and car traffic, parking (on Princeton Street) was dangerous.” he said. “It may be more of a parking hassle now, but I’d rather it be safe.”

TCU commuters aren’t the only drivers affected by the new limitation.

James Sanders, a Princeton Street resident, said he was unaware of the neighborhood petition and said he would not have signed it because his household’s parking would be just as limited as TCU students. He said that while cars have parked close to his driveway, his car has never been trapped.

“There are some annoyances, but it’s not worth the change,” he said. “The parking situation isn’t too bad.”

Julie Vidrine, a Princeton Street resident, said any inconvenience her family or guests might have during those hours is worth the decreased car and foot traffic.

“The whole neighborhood is excited about this,” she said.

Craver said that because the department’s attention was brought to the area, additional signs were installed prohibiting parking at all times 30 feet from the stop signs at the intersection of Princeton and Greene streets.

“It’s a reinforcement of an already existing state law,” he said. “We don’t hunt every stop sign down, but if we’re on location, we’ll take care of that.”

Waste Management, the garbage and recycling collection company for the block, could not be reached for comment on resident complaints about garbage collection times.

Melissa Christensen
m.s.christensen@student.tcu.edu