New Main Gate parking is all backwards

Charles C. LaBenz Arizona Daily Wildcat Flor Smackman, an intern for the Department of Economic Development, leaves her car to shop at the new West Main Gate Center on East University Boulevard. With the development of these new businesses, there is a new way of parking, called "reverse angular parking." The City of Tucson says the new method will increase safety.

People who park in the new spaces front-first are actually parking incorrectly and will receive a warning notifying them to back into the new spaces.

The warnings do not carry a monetary penalty and are being used to inform people until signs are put up in the area, said Chris Leighton, parking program coordinator for the City of Tucson.

The new way of parking, called "reverse angular parking," is being used to increase safety for bikers, drivers and pedestrians, he said.

Leighton said drivers who back into a space will be able to see oncoming traffic better when pulling out front-first.

"It is something being done up in Seattle, and they have found it decreases accidents between bikes and cars," he said.

There are six signs posted on light poles near the new spaces that say, "Back In Parking Only."

Leighton said there will be barricades in the road stating "no left turn" to discourage people from pulling into the spaces forward. He said the signs will remain there on a trial basis to see if people get the message to back into the spaces.

The area east of the new commercial development will be converted to the new parking system over the summer, he said.

Don Semro, consultant for the Marshall Foundation and project manager for West Main Gate Center, said reverse angular parking will result in more available parking in the area.

Leighton said reverse angular parking has doubled the number of spaces available from before, when cars were parallel parked along the curb.

Monica Vargas, retail manager of Coffee Plantation, 845 E. University Blvd., said the new parking is a good idea.

Vargas said she started parking correctly after she received a warning.

"It is safer because you are going with traffic," she said.

Veronica Carson, a family studies sophomore, said she thought the new parking is a good idea but added that people are not going to catch on.

"It's not going to work out, people are not doing it now," she said.

Arden Roberson, who was parking in the area Wednesday to visit Flicks On Campus, said the new system is going to cause problems.

"The best thing would have been to leave it," he said.

Gabrielle Grothouse, a communications sophomore, added, "It's a bad idea. It is to hard to get into those two lines going backwards."

Employees of businesses at the new West Main Gate Center park their vehicles in different places depending on the business.

Pat Grannan, assistant manager of Coffee Plantation, said there is no parking plan set up yet, and employees park where everyone else does.

It is not a problem because employees arrive for the opening 5 a.m. shift before the spaces are taken up, Grannan said. He said the night shift starts after 5 p.m., so employees can park in University of Arizona lots open to the public after 5 p.m.

Grannan said a good percentage of his employees do not drive to work.

Employees who drive to work have to find space like everyone else, said Karina Tavizon, assistant manager at Bath and Body Works, also at 845 E. University Blvd. She said that management pays $31 a month to park in the Geronimoz' lot, just south of North Tyndall Avenue and University Boulevard.