Drivers in Denton have only a matter of days to get used to back-in only parking before ignoring the rule will cost them.
The city of Denton officially put the new parking pattern into effect on East Hickory Street this week and Police Public Information Officer Ryan Grelle confirmed that the grace period for non-compliance to the rule will end next Monday morning, on April 6, 2015.
The back-in only zone stretches about three blocks from Denton Square to Oakland Street and features several new road signs, revealed this week, to warn drivers of the first-of-its-kind traffic pattern for Denton.
Drivers now have to turn on their turn signal, pull past their intended spot and then back in. Concrete stoppers have been placed near the curbs to help drivers know how far to back in.
The new rule is part of a major overhaul of the Hickory Streetscape intended to make the stretch a more pedestrian friendly one.
During the Tuesday lunch rush, compliance to the new rule was about 50-50. Many drivers backed into their spots, some having to take a few tries for their first shot at it, but many others were seen pulling completely across the opposing lane of traffic to pull head first into spots on the other side.
A parking enforcement officer for the police department walked the stretch, putting warnings on those cars, warnings that will be replaced by tickets starting next week.
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City leaders chose the back-in parking pattern back in 2013, saying that it was supposed to increase sight lines for drivers pulling out of spots and make it safer for people loading and unloading their cars by doing so directly onto the sidewalks instead of into the street.
Drivers and walkers on Hickory were split on the new rule Tuesday, some saying it was different but doable, while others felt the rule would just create back-ups and cause more problems than good on the stretch.
