ESCANABA - Public opinion is nearly split on what should be done with angle parking in downtown Escanaba, according to survey results presented to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Wednesday.

Last year, five blocks of Ludington Street, from 9th to 14th streets, were changed from parallel parking to angle parking to increase parking spaces, slow traffic, and focus on the central retail district. At the end of summer this year, a survey was conducted on the parking change.

Out of 1,018 surveys received, 495 respondents said the angle parking should be switched back to parallel parking. A total of of 523 surveyed said angle parking should remain as is or be extended, said DDA co-director Cori Triest who presented survey results.

Triest also reported 56 percent of those surveyed preferred parallel parking over angle parking while 33 percent said they preferred angle parking.

In addition to the survey results, the DDA board was given comments expressed at two public forums on angle parking. Recommendations on angle parking were also included in the board's packet, outlining suggestions from former DDA Director Roger Good who resigned Oct. 31.

Good recommended extending angle parking west from 14th Street to Stephenson Avenue and east from 9th Street to 2nd Street. He also recommended providing reserved parallel parking spots on all side streets in the central retail district for easier drop-off areas for the handicapped, delivery trucks, and vehicles with trailers.

A downtown streetscape plan should be developed before any parking changes take place, Good added.

The board did not take action on the recommendations.

During the board's discussion of the angle parking issue, Public Safety Director Al O'Dell was asked to comment on the crash statistics from the past two years.

In 2007-08, the year before the angle parking switch, 12 accidents were reported in the five-block area. The following year, from 2008-09, a total of 26 accidents were reported there.

O'Dell said other factors besides angle parking could have contributed to the increase in accidents such as road conditions and stop light violations.

He said he thinks angle parking has slowed down traffic in the central retail district. In his opinion, angle parking is not a safety issue when compared to parallel parking, which also has its dangers.

When asked if signage improvements needed to be made, O'Dell said signage is adequate for newcomers to the downtown. Residents still need time to adjust to the change especially where traffic merges from two lanes into one lane where angle parking begins and ends, he said.

More-detailed crash data will be presented at the next meeting on angle parking, Triest informed the board.

Public comment on the issue Wednesday included one resident requesting angle parking be switched back to parallel parking for safety and snowplowing reasons.

One business owner said he liked angle parking because it is easier and safer. Another business owner said he would like to see angle parking extended to increase parking spaces in front of his store on the 1400 block.

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Jenny Lancour, (906) 786-2021, ext. 143, jlancour@dailypress.net