Bedford’s new parking rules drive efforts to promote safety, clean up neighborhoods
Bedford’s neighborhood streets were being overrun with commercial vehicles which prompted concerns about safety for first responders, drivers and people living in the neighborhoods.
The council voted recently to adopt a new ordinance which shortens the amount of time someone can park on the street from 72 to 24 hours, and commercial vehicles are not allowed to park on the street unless they are making a delivery or providing a service.
Police chief Jeff Williams told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “We were having a problem with commercial vehicles. It was obvious that it was people living in Bedford and parking their commercial vehicles,” he said.
Williams also said there were a lot of cars parked on neighborhood streets where people were running auto repair shops out of their homes.
“Our goal is to keep our neighborhoods looking as good as we can,” he said. “We want to make sure residents’ property values don’t start dropping.”
Bedford’s ordinance is similar to those in other cities where people are allowed to park on the streets for 24 or 48 hours before a vehicle can be towed.
Bedford is not going to enforce the ordinance unless people complain.
“We are not going to go out and seek people parked beyond 24 hours. You have an aunt or uncle staying at your home for a few days. Parking enforcement is not the most favorite thing for us to do,” he said.
Andrea Roy, Bedford’s development director, said if the city gets a complaint, the person violating the new parking rules would get a couple of warnings before the case would go to the municipal court.
The old rules of allowing people to park for up to 72 hours did not provide a good time frame because it sent the message that it was okay to park on the street for several days, she said.
Roy said Bedford’s zoning ordinance requires that people have a minimum of three off-street parking spaces at their homes.
Long-time Bedford resident Roger Gallenstein said he supports the new parking regulations.
“I think the 24-hour rule is a good idea. I think the city is heading in the right direction with this new ordinance.”
Gallenstein described seeing “lots of cars” parked along the streets. “I think the city will start looking a whole lot better.”
According to Bedford’s website, “there are concerns about first responders and drivers having an obstructed view if cars are parked on both sides of the street.”
Bedford’s fire trucks are 96–100 inches wide, depending upon the exact truck, which does not include the mirrors. In comparison, the maximum allowable width for a commercial vehicle on the roads is 102 inches wide. A fire truck maneuvering a street with cars parked on both sides is one concern when responding to an emergency, according to the website.
Another concern is setting up the truck to handle the emergency once it is on the scene.