Back-in parking will soon be a thing of the past in downtown Peoria.
The city council unanimously approved a measure at Tuesday's city council meeting reverting the spaces to forward-facing parking.
The public works department created the reverse-angle parking spots on Fulton and Monroe streets in 2015, but it's proven unpopular with council members around the horseshoe and the general public.
"It was a good intention. I mean, I believe it was very much well intended," said 2nd District councilman Chuck Grayeb. "But the fact of the matter is a lot of people, myself included, find it's very difficult to back in, and it's hard to see, especially if you have a larger vehicle, how far back you can go. And so I think this is a step forward for safety, not a step backward."
The $75,000 pavement slurry seal project will be paid for through Downtown TIF funds.
Public Works Director Rick Powers said one benefit of the change will remain after the parking configuration is reversed.
What we were trying to accomplish with back-in, those spaces are wider. So when we reorder them, we're actually just going to turn the meter. So you'll still have the width that you have now," Powers said.
Powers said the parking spots will be realigned this fall. Backing into the spaces will become a parking violation after the change is made, he said.
