Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission is looking to prohibit on-street parking along Logan Street from Eagle Street south to Rozella Road in Warsaw.
Commissioners Thursday approved submitting a favorable recommendation to the Warsaw City Council to prohibit the parking.
The commission previously discussed the issue at its April 3 meeting.Warsaw Police Department Lt. Kip Shuter said, at the April meeting, during major sporting events at the high school people have parked along Logan Street.
He said grass has been soft and wet, and wreckers have had to pull vehicles out of the grass that were stuck. Shuter said vehicles also were interfering with ingress and egress movements at driveways, and sidewalks were not easily accessible for pedestrian traffic.
Since the April meeting, Shuter and Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission member Steve Foster examined the parking issue on Logan Street.
Due to the contour curves, a bridge, school property boundaries and school traffic, Shuter and Foster recommended parking not be permitted on either side of Logan Street from Eagle Street south to Rozella Road.
Also during the meeting, WPD Chief Perry Hunter informed the commission he has received concerns from residents regarding loud noises from semi-trucks with diesel engine compression brakes. The brakes are an additional engine brake for diesel engines used to assist semi trucks stopping when traveling at fast speeds.
He said residents were concerned with noise from the brakes coming from semi trucks along Ind. 15N coming into Warsaw from Center Street to CR 200N.
He asked the commission about their thoughts on proposing an ordinance to prohibit diesel engine compression brakes within the Warsaw city limits.
Foster said the commission does not have the authority to make decisions on noise issues, but the city council would have the authority to review the issue.
In other business, the commission discussed parking on the east side of High Street next to Cox Studios between Market and Center streets.
Commissioners approved amending the existing ordinance to include four parking spaces, in addition to the existing parking spots, and make the spaces two-hour parking spots. The existing ordinance previously stated people could not park in the spaces because the road was not wide enough, Foster said.
Also during the meeting, Shuter said a Warsaw residents asked about information regarding a parking spot at the Old Amtrack parking lot south of Jefferson Street, east of Lake Street by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
A Warsaw resident has been parking in the spot free of charge. The resident wanted to know if he would still be allowed to park in the spot that has not been clearly defined as free and is next to paid parking spots.
The commission approved continuing to allow the parking spot be free.
Commissioner Ann Sweet informed the commission the Hammond City Council Monday approved installing red light cameras at six of its city intersections.
Sweet serves as a spokesperson for the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running.
Sweet submitted a letter before the commission's April meeting commission asking if the board would support Warsaw being considered for a red-light-running photo enforcement pilot program.
Commissioners showed their support at the April meeting for Warsaw to be used as a pilot site.
Commissioners are Dan Robinson, Greg Schroeder, Jeremy Skinner, Sweet, George Clemens, Bill Rhoades and Joe Thallemer.
