At Tuesday's Board of Aldermen meeting, Carrboro Transportation Planner Dale McKeel gave a presentation detailing how to lessen the number of cars parking on Pine, Oak and Cheek streets, while still providing ample parking for new residents.
The streets run parallel to each other in west Carrboro and all run into Hillsborough Street.
The study was requested by the Board of Aldermen on Oct. 9, 2001, as part of a deal giving developers the green light to build new housing on Pine Street. Because new developments would bring more cars to the area, the aldermen conducted the study so they could prevent any future parking problems for student and resident tenants in the area.
The traffic problem on Pine Street is growing because of the rapid influx of new tenants, most of whom are students. Pine Street was a hot topic for the Board of Aldermen last July when residents clashed with student renters over the atmosphere of the area, including limited parking.
But landlord Armin Lieth, who was one of the developers building on Pine Street in October 2001, said it is not feasible to have more people move in without increasing the amount of traffic.
"Part of the problem is that this is a bigger issue that goes into density," Lieth said. "If you are going to increase the density of a neighborhood, you have to increase the traffic."
At the meeting, Alderman Diana McDuffee proposed three solutions -- banning night parking, requiring parking on only one side of the street or eliminating on-street parking completely.
McKeel told the Board of Aldermen that a quick fix for residents who presently don't have a place to park is to use their lawns or driveways.
The aldermen also expressed concern that an increase in traffic on these streets could lead to the eventual blockage of driveways, fire hydrants and the street itself.
