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NORTH OGDEN — City officials are eager to make some changes on 2600 North between 400 East and 900 East in North Ogden that they say are needed for safety reasons. But some residents say the changes may add to traffic problems and take away prime parking.
Alene Chambers lives on 2600 North.
"It's becoming a highway, really," she said.
Stanley Kippen also lives along that street.
"When I back out, sometimes I have to pack a lunch it's so busy," he said.
Busy is an understatement. North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor said about 12,000 vehicles a day travel the road, which wasn't built for those numbers.
City officials already have plans to address it.
"Right now, there are two park lanes so people can park on the side of the road, and then a travel lane in each direction. There's no center turn lane," he explained.
In the last five years, North Ogden police reported 91 accidents along this 1.2 mile stretch. Taylor says adding a center turn lane and eliminating some street parking hopefully will lower that number.
Some residents say that plan will only make things worse.
"We've had it taken out twice since we've been here," Chambers said. Even with a shoulder on the road, Chambers says her mailbox has been hit. And with a sidewalk on only the south side of the street, she fears for pedestrians.
"There's so many bikers and walkers, there needs to be something," she said.
For Kippen, taking away his valuable street parking is a problem for his wife's at-home business.
"I'm not OK with them taking the parking away," he said.
These residents agree a traffic solution is needed but say the city's proposed plans are not the best answer.
"It's going to be a nuisance trying to back out. It's going to put our lives at risk," they said.
The city's long-term plan is to widen the road and add more lanes. That would mean houses would need to be knocked down. The mayor says they're trying to avoid that for now.
The City Council will vote on finalizing the plans on Aug. 4.
