Ronan police to start enforcing specific traffic rule
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RONAN – Drivers in Ronan might want to review their parking skills. In a May 5 council meeting City Councilmember Chris Adler instructed the Ronan Police Department to begin enforcing a city traffic rule that prohibits crossing an oncoming lane of traffic to park on the opposite side of the street.
“It is an ordinance and it needs to be enforced,” Adler said.
The long unenforced rule was brought to the council’s attention during the meeting via a complaint from Alan Corneilson, who said that he was hit a few years ago by a driver at the Ronan Post office who parked illegally by crossing the street. He suffered a near miss at the Ronan Post Office recently and noticed that cars outside the city’s police department were parked cattywampus – evidence the law officers themselves had been breaking the rule. Corneilson marched to the department and knocked on the door and asked the officers to park the cars correctly to set an example for the community.
The officer and Corneilson then argued about what the rule was. Corneilson didn’t blame the officer for his ignorance of the rule. The officer had lived in Ronan for fewer than six months and was simply unfamiliar with it, Corneilson said. The printed out version of the rule was in Corneilson’s hand when he went before the city council.
“I don’t think they should start writing tickets tomorrow,” Corneilson said. “I think there should be a buffer zone (to let people know).”
Corneilson said he’s worried someone is going to get seriously injured if the ordinance remains unenforced.
Corneilson said the post office is willing to post the ordinance on its door to raise awareness. The establishment is one of the places where people violate the rule most often, councilmembers agreed.
“The post office is by far the worst,” Mayor Kim Aipperspach said.
There was some question as to whether enforcing the rule would cause an uproar among the citizenry. Aipperspach recalled a time when he was a child and the town decided to enforce its street parking ordinances. People showed up angry at city hall, tickets in hand to complain to the council.
“It was a big stink,” Aipperspach said.
City Attorney Kathleen O’Rourke Mullins suggested the town post signage if it enforces the ordinance, because the town’s rule is opposite of what state law designates as acceptable. Without signage, people are likely to challenge tickets, O’Rourke Mullins said.
