The city council Sept. 18 asked that the public safety commission take another look at its original proposal to red-curb a 120-foot section of the east-west portion of the street at the corner of Wild Oak Way, and this time make sure the resident of the red-curbed property is included.

That resident, Ellis Chang, told the council Sept. 4 that city staff had told him and his wife that the red-curbing would not occur and thus they didn't follow up with the public safety commission, which eventually did recommend that action. He was surprised to see the red curb show up this summer and was concerned about it and about the fact that he hadn't been notified, he said.

The council, assistant city manager Lorie Tinfow and public safety commission chairwoman Brigitte Ballingall all agreed that the Changs were not informed of the commission's consideration because of a glitch caused by a staff turnover--the commission's staff liaison, Paula Reeves, left her position and was replaced by Tinfow during the summer. Ballingall apologized to Chang, saying the commission had expected him to be invited to its meetings.

Nevertheless, she said, Chang's residence at a tight, blind corner on a narrow street requires some sort of clear sign that vehicles cannot safely or legally be parked there.

"We feel strongly that there cannot be any parking there at any time," she said, adding that the commission could consider other no-parking signage in that location. "I would give the option to the residents; that would be my preference."

The commission recommended the red curb after a nearby resident informed it that she had hit a vehicle parked in front of the Changs' house last fall. The neighbor said the accident occurred when sun glare prevented her from seeing the parked car.

Ballingall said the commission had asked the Changs to stop parking or allowing others to park in front of their house. Chang said he has not permitted anyone to park there since his neighbor had her accident.

But he also pointed out that the accident occurred on a straight section of the road, not near the curve, and thus to prevent future accidents like that, one would have to restrict parking on the whole street.

"Our property's the only one that got painted red," Chang said. "It's just not right," adding that he would prefer there be no signage of any kind in front of his house.

Ballingall said the commission hadn't recommended limiting parking on the whole street or on the opposite side of the street to give the neighbors more options and also because some unpaved areas have enough space for a car to park safely out of the roadway. She also said the no-parking zone was not just to prevent accidents at the turn but also to provide drivers with a better line of vision down a narrow road.

The council determined that it would have to do something to make that section safer, as not doing anything could pose a risk for accidents as well as potential litigation. The majority preferred to keep the red-curb section in place while the public safety commission reconsiders the item, with Chang's comments taken into account, until another, more aesthetic no-parking plan can be achieved. Mayor Nick Streit and Councilman John Mehaffey supported removing the red curb immediately but agreed to go along with the others.

The commission meets next on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at city hall.