ANDERSON, Texas (KRHD) — On Monday, Aug. 10, TxDOT striped Main Street in Anderson, changing all of the parking to parallel spots, leaving local business owners upset.
- There are now parking spaces in front of entrance steps and ramps
- Neighbors are worried that parking in front of the senior center means seniors will be exiting their vehicle into a traffic area
- One business could have five customers parked in front of their business. They now have one regular parallel parking spot and one handicap spot.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Business owners in downtown Anderson are voicing concerns about new parking changes that they say are negatively impacting their businesses.
"It feels like they came in and got our opinions and then did the opposite of what we asked. That's what it feels like," said Mary Beth Wesley, owner of 57 Bloom Co.
Wesley explained that the new striping meant she went from being able to park up to four cars, sometimes five, in front of her building, to only having one spot and a handicapped spot available.
"It will be harder to attract customers," Wesley said. "Now with just this one spot we can't even, I don't even have a spot for a customer who wants to come in and sit and a spot for a curbside pickup."
Similarly, Daryl Alford, who has been in business downtown for 30 years, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of parallel parking.
"A lot of my customers do drive big, they’re farmers and ranchers, they drive big trucks. So parallel parking is not an option," Alford said.
Alford echoed Wesley's concerns about the potential impact on his customers, adding, "A lot of these guys are carrying 5-gallon buckets, sackrete. You have a lot of heavy items here, and they don't want to have to carry it a half a mile down the road where they can park their bigger trucks."
Wesley noted that despite the new parallel parking, a line of customers down the road was still parking at an angle.
"I think it's, uh, I guess you'd call it a silent protest," she said.
The parking changes in Anderson have drawn mixed reactions, with business owners advocating for solutions that better accommodate their needs and the needs of their customers.
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