HOLMES BEACH – More parking changes are being proposed for Anna Maria Island’s largest city, but this one doesn’t affect the number of available parking spaces, just how they’re used.
During a May 24 work session, commissioners heard a proposal from City Engineer Sage Kamiya to join the cities of Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach in requiring all vehicles parked on the sides of city streets to have all four wheels off the road.
If enacted, the proposed regulations would provide an exception for temporarily parked vehicles such as landscaping trucks and other work vehicles while work is being done on the property.
“I’m all for this,” Commissioner Carol Soustek said.
Commissioners agreed to move the proposed parking changes to a first reading and vote at an upcoming regular meeting.
Kamiya said the change would align Holmes Beach’s regulations with those of its sister cities. Mayor Judy Titsworth added that the proposed four wheels off the road change would not affect the number of parking spaces currently available to the public along city streets.
While the change would be applied citywide, Titsworth said that Key Royale may be exempted from the regulations, maintaining two wheels off the road parking, due to the wide width of the community’s streets. She also added that since Key Royale is separated from the rest of Holmes Beach by a bridge, it makes it easier to define the boundaries for officers enforcing parking regulations.
Other changes to parking being considered include designating parking spaces at beach accesses and along city streets where public parking is allowed by using bollards and rope, creating a parking map and adding additional rapid flashing beacons to city crosswalks. Kamiya said that all of the changes combined work together to help commissioners realize the vision of becoming a safer community for people using all forms of transportation.
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