Completed 3/24/16

This issue is NOT closed.

The sign was supposed to be placed on the utility pole west of the first driveway on Raymond Avenue, replacing the current, inaccurate sign.

The tow zone is from the driveway on Raymond Avenue to the corner of Lafayette per Lt Robt Preczewski.

This area can accommodate 3 cars. Current sign placement indicates one car length of no parking, which means two more cars will be able to park in the tow zone. In 2014 SPD acknowledged cars there represented a danger to resident safety and the tow zone was created. Signage has NEVER been right.

please fix this - correctly, once and for all.

Thank you for submitting your sign concern information. The city has identified signs in need of replacement or maintenance and we will check if your request has been identified in our program. If we need further information we will contact you via the Commonwealth Connect app.

Unfortunately, there is no ordinance for a 'No Parking Tow Zone' sign. The only sign that can legally be put there is 'No Parking from 8am to 5pm'. Please contact your Ward City Councillor about this matter.

Talk to my Councillor? Did it - in January, 2014.

My (then) Ward Councillor, Joseph O'Keefe and I stood on Raymond Avenue discussing the zoning change with Lt. Preczewski.

The result of that meeting was Lt Preczewski, confirming, in his words, "the no parking zone from Lafayette St. to (my) driveway" via e-mail on Feb 12, 2014. If it would make any difference whatsoever, send me your e-mail address, I'll gladly forward the Lt.'s e-mail.

The problem here is NOT zoning.

The problem is DPW hasn't executed common-sense placement of a sign.

The zoning is long done, through the proper channels, with my (then) City Councillor, as a 24/7 No Parking Tow Zone, confirmed by the SPD officer who makes these decisions.

Unless there's a law preventing switching an existing, incorrect sign on a utility pole with a different, correct one, the two year delay getting a sign correctly posted is inexcusable.

Also, why can't "see click fix" communicate with SPD directly on parking zoning issues, instead of making users jump through hoops to get information that ought to be at the fingertips of any effectively communicating city departments?

Until such time as this is resolved, please see the attached easy-to-understand picture (with words & arrows) showing exactly what is wrong with the signage. The picture plainly shows sign-placement actions taken to date have been a complete waste of time, money, energy and a pole.

To save time and long-winded internet communications, if anyone wants to call me directly or, even better, come to the site to have discuss further, please let me know ASAP. Explaining this face to face would be about the easiest thing I've ever done. Because, if you look at it, the problems are glaringly obvious within seconds.

Finally, I don't want whoever is reading this to take it personally. By the same token, I'm quite rightfully frustrated.

And, not to be make a threat, but: if, before this is correctly resolved, I'm hit by another motorist because I can't see them and/or they can't see me due to illegally parked vehicles blocking our view (near-misses are far too frequent and this is exactly why this zoning was put into place to prevent happening), count on all two years of my saved documentation of getting nowhere (including this exchange, which I have archived) being exhibit A in a subsequent lawsuit against the City of Salem.

PS: Yes, my current Councillor, Steve Dibble and I have been talking about this as well. That may be how the S/C/F case was opened.

This issue has been addressed and be closed.