Downtown Binghamton Diagonal Parking A Real Challenge

It may be time for a course called Parking 101. Court Street's new "back-in angle" parking scheme isn't being embraced by some downtown drivers.

Several on-street parking spaces now are available on Court between State and Water streets.

Although the diagonal parking concept is in use on a section of Hawley Street downtown and on part of Conklin Avenue on the city's South Side, the new format has proven to be a challenge for some Court Street shoppers.

The revised parking markings were applied by workers last Friday afternoon.

While some vehicle operators seem to have quickly adapted to the change, others are choosing to ignore the stripes and signs.

On Tuesday afternoon, two cars were improperly parked in the recently-opened spaces.

One vehicle was parked across a striped section that a sign indicated was a "no parking" zone. Another was parked with its front-end to the curb, violating the back-in directions posted on the block.

A posted sign proclaims: "It's as easy as 1-2-3." Apparently, it's not quite that easy for some drivers.

The three steps for proper diagonal parking: 1. Signal.  2. Stop.  3. Reverse.

While a WNBF News reporter was discussing the parking predicament with a worker who was involved in the Court Street Gateway construction project, a car zipped across the street and parked head-first into one of the spots in question.

A woman who emerged from the vehicle appeared a bit sheepish when it was pointed out that these are back-in spaces. She conceded she's not particularly adept at backing up her car and she'd prefer not to have to put the vehicle in reverse to park.

She was advised to take care of her business in a nearby shop quickly to avoid a possible parking ticket.

A city parking enforcement officer already has been busy issuing tickets for vehicles spotted in violation of the new back-in angle parking directives.

Downtown visitors might want to follow the directions on the signs to avoid a potentially costly ticket.