MEDINA, Ohio — With summer approaching, and a lot of people expected to visit Medina, some councilmembers are pushing for the city’s historic square to get a new look.
“Safety should not be delayed, and we know that there is an issue here,” said Medina Councilmember Bill Lamb.
Lamb is proposing a short-term plan to eliminate some parking spaces near the midterm or mid-block crosswalks around Medina Public Square.
“If everybody agrees with it, make these interim adjustments and help to make the city safer while we work on the larger plan to really affect not only the crosswalks but traffic flow,” said Lamb. “Mid street crosswalks are always, always going to be semi dangerous.”
Back in February, Council President John Coyne first told News 5 about a proposed plan to cut 17 parking spaces on the square to keep people safe.
RELATED: Proposed plan could cut parking on Medina's Public Square to improve pedestrian safety
Lamb said his idea and the larger plan will blend together at a later time.
“It’s difficult to park. It’s difficult to see people coming when you’re trying to parallel park, and then not everybody presses the crosswalk sign, so sometimes you can’t see people coming across the street,” said Medina Public Square visitor, Alicia Davies.
If it’s not quiet and easy for Lexi Chuppa to find parking in Medina Public Square, she told News 5 she doesn’t even bother trying because it’s too overwhelming.
“It’s stressful for me personally. I get very nervous with street parking, especially when there’s residents crosswalking. Don’t want to miss anything, so I try to stay in the parking garage by the courthouse,” said Chuppa. “I like to trust that everyone is keeping an eye out and is not distracted, but you can’t guarantee it."
If approved, Lamb hopes the project will be completed sometime this summer.
