BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Melissa Wright in north Omaha where a couple weeks ago neighbors expressed concern to me when it came to having access to safe parking outside their home.
Dorothy Fant has been able to park along her curb since she moved in.
“But I know I can't move. I’ve been here 61 years and don't plan on leaving." said Dorothy Fant.
The City of Omaha recently completed a sewer separation project along 16th street. Which included re-designing the street to add a bike lane but also removed some parking spots.
“This is something they might've studied downtown, behind a desk. But they didn't come out and do a foot walk, they didn't come out and do a parking analysis.” said Dorothy Fant.
Over the last week, Dorothy and her son Robert are rallying neighbors to ask the mayors office to step in and help.
“25 out of the 75, I'll put up the other 50. And in one day I collected 25 signatures. Which I think I need 50 or 60 in order to present those to the city, which I hope to do this week." said Robert Fant.
Robert Fant says the signatures he's collected are all from surrounding neighbors that are opposed to no longer having parking.
I reached out the city asking if they planned on adding parking. They said, “The residents have been made aware that the project is moving forward as designed. The project did include some reduced on street parking with the addition of the bike lane. However these were public on street parking spaces, no residents are losing parking that they currently own. The houses in this area have driveways with access off of the adjacent alley. That did not change with the project.“ said Jim Theiler.
“Why are they dogging us like this for no reason…because all we're asking is for simple parking already. what we had already. they took away what we had, it belongs to the city true enough. It's an accident hazard, somebody is going to get hurt, possibly me because I’m the one that has to cross it," said Dorothy Fant.
84-year-old Dorothy says, she's not giving up and will continue to fight for accessible and safe parking.
Both Dorothy and Robert tell me, they are working to get this issue solved before iced over cement and piles of snow on the sidewalk become a larger concern.
