Homewood panel drops proposal to stripe one side of Saint Charles after residents warn of new hazards

At a Homewood City Public Safety Committee meeting, members voted 4–0 to remove from consideration a plan to paint a yellow curb on one side of Saint Charles Street aimed at keeping a lane clear for emergency vehicles. Chair (speaker 2) stated after the vote: "the yellow curbing is off the table."

The item — a city review of no-parking areas on sections of Saint Charles and Stuart streets — drew a packed room of residents who described repeated blocked roads, parked delivery trucks and at least three known vehicle collisions on the narrow, early‑20th‑century streets. A councilor (speaker 4) summarized the police recommendation relayed at a prior meeting: Police Chief Brundage had said a yellow curb could keep at least one lane open for emergency access. The councilor said police suggested striping one side as an immediate, limited response while longer‑term engineering solutions were studied.

Neighborhood speakers, however, told the committee the yellow stripe could create new problems. Mark Bajakel, who gave his address for the record, said painting one side yellow would force residents and customers to concentrate parking on the remaining side, creating head‑on conflicts at peak times and likely still blocking the street during overflow. "Putting a yellow curb down this road . . . it's gonna force the residents and the restaurant customers to line up on one side," Bajakel said.

Resident Brad Hightower described a recent crash as part of his appeal for broader fixes: he said his son was struck at the intersection of Saint Charles and Oxmoor in March and is still experiencing anxiety. "He's basically doing pretty well," Hightower said, urging the committee to pursue traffic engineering solutions and pedestrian safety measures rather than rely only on paint.

Committee members and staff noted practical constraints: narrow street widths, driveways and mailboxes limit legal curb spaces; signage that reads "local traffic only" is not itself enforceable; and enforcing voluntary restrictions without parking management tools is difficult. Staff told the committee traffic engineering had been engaged and that some measures could be implemented in a few weeks for targeted locations, while other fixes would require more study.

Speakers suggested alternative or complementary steps, including clearer, enforceable signage, designated employee parking or valet arrangements for businesses, using nearby church parking at agreed times, targeted loading‑zone hours, painted 30‑foot no‑parking buffers at intersections and exploring a parking deck or shared‑lot arrangements. Wayne Harris, a neighborhood landlord, urged better enforcement of employee parking and one‑hour customer spaces to free curb space.

Councilor Jennings (speaker 3) moved to drop the yellow‑curb item and the committee voted 4–0 to do so. Chair told residents the committee would continue working on broader parking and traffic solutions with city staff and traffic engineering. The committee adjourned without advancing the striping proposal.

What happens next: staff will continue studying a range of options, including targeted signage, loading‑zone schedules and engineering studies; traffic engineering engagement was reported to be expected to produce initial measures within two to three weeks.