ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 12, 1996 TAG: 9609130059
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Pulaski officials may consider changing Main Street's one-way status in the middle of town.
That part of Main Street, as well as the parallel section of Third Street a block away, have been one-way in opposite directions for decades. Nobody on the town's Public Operations Committee could remember Tuesday how long they had been set up that way.
But Councilman Roy Neblett suggested that council consider making the downtown section of Main Street two-way, as well as Third Street. In the city of Bristol, he said, where he had lived previously, the changing of State Street from one-way to two-way status in recent years brought about a major boost for traffic and downtown business in that city on the Virginia-Tennessee border.
"I really saw a turnaround in Bristol," Neblett said.
Police Chief Herb Cooley said a traffic study might be necessary before considering such a change for Pulaski.
Neblett recalled consideration of making the streets two-way some years ago when he had served a previous term on council, and it was decided at that time not to change. Town Engineer John Hawley has done some study of downtown traffic more recently, and council will look at that study before considering any switch in traffic directions.
The committee examined the effect of current parking regulations in downtown Pulaski, at council's request. Currently, a two-hour parking limit is imposed.
When new businesses began opening in downtown Pulaski several years ago and shopping traffic picked up, merchants had complained that there was insufficient parking for potential customers. It turned out that many spaces outside stores were being occupied by employees in many of those stores, although not necessarily in front of the ones where they worked.
The town Police Department began intensive enforcement of the two-hour parking limit, and more spaces were sought where employees could park a little farther from where they work. Cooley said that seems to have improved the downtown parking situation.
In recent months, parking enforcement has been less because personnel shortages required the parking officer to assume dispatch duties. But parking has remained relatively smooth, Cooley said. The committee decided to let him continue to monitor the situation.
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