This Illegal Parking Job in Portland, Maine, is Going to Leave Someone Seriously Injured

To say there's a parking crunch in Portland would be an understatement. As the city has continued to develop property, more and more parking spots have disappeared without much to replace them.

The city has suggested using parking garages, but rates for many facilities have skyrocketed over the last few years. That's especially true for people who are stopping at shops or restaurants for just a short amount of time. They don't want to pay five dollars for a 20-minute visit.

What that has led to is a city-wide issue of people creating their own short term parking spots. It's also left delivery drivers in an uncomfortable position. needing to fulfill deliveries to apartments and businesses without being able to secure a legal loading zone spot.

Not all illegal parking is created equal, but there may be no more egregious and consistently dangerous instance of illegal parking than along Free Street in Portland. From gym visitors to delivery trucks to concert-goers, the area right outside the One City Parking garage is regularly parked in, despite the fact that it shouldn't be.

There are two major issues with the illegal parking in that area. It blocks the vision of people attempting to exit the parking garage. Depending on the size of the vehicle parking illegally, it can become a complete blind area.

Secondly, there's a crosswalk in front of El Rayo restaurant. The visibility for both pedestrians and drivers is marginalized when people park illegally in that area. There have been several close calls on potential accidents between vehicles, and even worse, with pedestrians.

So what could Portland do to fix it? That's a tough question. The city should consider a deliver vehicles only space somewhere along that stretch of Free Street. Not only that, they may want to consider taking that area outside the parking garage and making it a fire zone. That would increase the potential fine for illegally parking there.

Something should change and quickly.