Hillcrest Avenue in Gainesville will not become a one-way street, for now, but residents will need to be careful not to block traffic when they park.
The city plans to post signs banning cars from blocking the street, then follow up with police enforcement to address concerns with emergency vehicle traffic.
Emergency vehicles and trash trucks were having trouble getting through the narrow street, which has few driveways.
“If this doesn’t achieve the desired effect, then we can certainly go back and re-evaluate,” public works director David Dockery told Gainesville City Council Thursday morning.
Public works officials had considered making Hillcrest one-way, allowing travel only from Ridgewood Terrace to Northside Drive/North Avenue and eliminating parking on one side.
The proposal met immediate opposition from residents, prompting city officials to re-evaluate their plans.
“We’ve been told by some of the residents they have counted cars on the street … and there wasn’t enough parking on one side to accommodate all the vehicles,” Dockery said.
Councilman George Wangemann said he was pleased by the city’s response.
“I’m sure I speak for the residents who called me in thanking you for being sensitive to their needs,” he said. “This does show them that local government does work. You can fight city hall, so to speak, and win.”
Blanca Velasquez, a Hillcrest Avenue resident for six months, said she is curious how the signs will work, as the road draws a lot of traffic.
“If they really want to do something, I would say (put in) speed bumps,” she said. “We’ve got kids here who are playing on bikes, and we’ve got people coming from other neighborhoods and they zoom through here.”
In another matter, the city still is looking to make Dyer Street one-way, allowing travel only from Ridgewood Avenue to North Avenue.
“The only feedback we got (from residents) was they didn’t want any signs in their yards, which we can work around, and that parking be … on the righthand shoulder,” city traffic engineer Rhonda Brady said.
