By GAGE WILSON
For Glasgow News 1
Discussions at the Glasgow Infrastructure Committee’s July meeting centered less on new traffic changes than on how those changes come about, as committee members outlined the process that led to new parking restrictions on W. Washington Street and Bunche Avenue.
Councilman Randy Wilkinson, who was absent from last month’s meeting, asked Public Works Superintendent Jim McGowan to explain both the planned changes and the authority behind them.
As previously reported, the committee voted in June to prohibit parking on the south side of both streets after officials determined parked vehicles were creating congestion and making it difficult for two-way traffic to pass safely. Public Works measured pavement width along W. Washington Street at roughly 24 feet wide and Bunche Avenue at approximately 15.3 feet, prompting concerns that allowing parking on both sides left insufficient room for motorists to safely navigate the roadways.
“It’s just a dangerous situation,” McGowan said. “We can’t allow parking on one side.”
When Wilkinson asked how the city was able to make the changes, McGowan explained that the recommendation came only after his department received repeated complaints from the Glasgow Police Department and motorists using the streets.
After reviewing the concerns, he consulted with Joint City-County Planning Commission Director Kevin Myatt and the city’s Public Safety Committee before bringing the proposal to the Infrastructure Committee, which approved the changes during its June meeting.
“We got enough complaints from city police and residents,” McGowan said. “Those roads have to maintain two-way traffic and in order for it to have two-way traffic we cannot allow both sides of the street to be parked on.”
Wilkinson said he understood the need for the restrictions but wanted clarification on the process used to implement them.
McGowan said Public Works can recommend changes, but the final decision rests with the committee.
“You have to look at the safety of the community and everything along that roadway,” he said.
Councilman Joe Trigg summarized the process, saying, “A complaint is filed, they go and verify it doing whatever they need to do and then it comes to us.”
No new action was taken during Tuesday’s meeting. McGowan said the streets must first be pressure washed before crews can paint the new no-parking zones, a process he expects to begin within the next couple of weeks.
The committee also received an update on the planned installation of streetlights near the intersection of Veterans Outer Loop and N. Jackson Highway.
While the overall project calls for four new lights, two located on city property and two on county property, McGowan said Glasgow will move forward with installing its two lights first while Barren County addresses its portion at a later date. No timeline for completion was provided.
The committee’s next scheduled meeting is set for August 3.
Key facts
– Glasgow Infrastructure Committee focused on process for new parking restrictions
– No-parking zones approved on one side of W. Washington Street and Bunche Avenue
– Officials cited safety concerns due to narrow roads and congestion
– Public Works outlined complaint-driven review and approval process
– No additional action taken at the latest committee meeting
– Work to prepare and paint no-parking zones expected in coming weeks
– City moving ahead on two of four planned streetlights near Veterans Outer Loop and North Jackson Highway
– County will address its two streetlights at a later date; no timeline given
– Next Glasgow Infrastructure Committee meeting scheduled for Aug. 3
