The West Virginia Department of Highways has requested the Town of Davis close the northbound section of William Avenue in Davis to parking over winter. The matter was described as a “safety issue.”
The request came to the Town over concerns over narrowing in previous years due to plowing and individuals parking too far from the curb creating a hazard for large vehicles on the roadway during snow events, according to Town of Davis Mayor Alan Tomson. Mayor Tomson informed the Town Council of the request during the Town Council Meeting on Sept. 9 at Davis Town Hall.
“They really would like us to shut it down for the entirety of the winter period, as opposed to just snow events,” Tomson said.
The DOH cited the reasons as being hard to manage because drivers do not read existing signs and it leads to vehicles having to be towed throughout the winter. Issues on the road have included significant narrowing of the roadway from improper parking that has caused tractor trailers to not be able to pass and has blocked the road.
“The DOH’s vote, the Department of Highways’ vote is we do it for the entire period,” Tomson said. “Maybe we can compress the period and not make it quite as big, but that is what their thought is.”
Councilman Joe Holmes said that he worried about leaving the parking closed all winter due to winter being the town’s busy season. He also said he feared it would be hard to enforce because people were likely to park there anyway.
Council Member Catherine Fleischman suggested parking closure during overnight hours or select hours for snow removal. However, Councilman Doug Martin said that the issues have been “going on for 20 years” and the DOH “finally put their foot down and wanted an ordinance passed.”
While no decision was made by the council during the meeting, the matter would be taken up at the next meeting.