Back in parking is a challenge for poor students.

A lack of accidents, as cited, is no reason NOT to improve parking systems. Yes, angled backing is a driving skill. And also, car doors shield car occupants, car trunks are more safely accessed, studies have suggested easy access improves store sales, and no longer are cyclists threatened as drivers back OUT.

The Newport City Council's submissiveness to the Manager is second only to the lax stewardship on imagining a better Newport. Never is the council, as a whole, prepared and educated about the intellectual material.

In the back-in parking example, the council, as a body, failed to attend the screening of "Urbanized" by Newport Film. It failed to challenge or embrace the recent Architectural Forum/Washington Square Roots presentation by Dan Burden, of the very successful Walkable and Liveable Communities Institute. The economic rationale for HAVING angled back in parking is available. City Hall parries with little more than a wilting incuriousness.

(Does backing in to park take time and cost a little more--yes. Were the cities that did so happier that they did--yes!)

The more we hear about concerns local drivers having issues with the bike lanes at First Beach, and now backing into spaces on Broadway, the more it appears the common good might be having these talentless drivers OFF the road, and onto their own feet.

I disagree. Call me an ole fuddy duddy, but backing up is probably the most dangerous driving maneuver. I understand that we want to make the streets safer for bicyclists but this seems excessive. Also, I can not tell you how many bicyclists are not careful on city streets. They travel up Spring St and Thames St. in the wrong direction, they do not stop at stop signs or red lights, they weave in between cars. It's ridiculous. Hardly any of them even wear head gear. And now I am supposed to back in to a spot - and no, I do not have a camera in my car - for their safety? Are you kidding me? I feel for the families of those whole have lost loved ones but none of these accidents happened on Broadway. This seems like change for change sake. The new striping on Memorial Blvd is fine. Great, let's be aware of bicyclist. But let them know that they are required to follow the rules of the road as well.

If, apparently, this idea is for the safety of the bike riders, let them learn rules of the road. When you are backing OUT of a space you look for oncoming traffic and wait until you see a spot to back up out into the roadway. Then here comes some clown flying down the street, head down, and pedaling like mad and gets teed off because you dared to back out. Growing up in Newport, we did not have bike lanes painted on the road, We learned to look at every car we were coming up on to see if someone was in the drivers seat and be aware that a car door could open in front of us or someone could start to back out of a pull in space. Bike riders tend to think...Me, Me, Me and disregard rules of the road which are there for everyone. You are not special. Learn the rules, and make yourself more visible to other drivers. You want to cause the vehicle driving public to change the way people have been parking for ages. You mustve been born yesterday. Most of us were not.

Driving in reverse requires more care and attention by nature, therefor I (and I presume most drivers) are more prone to checking what's behind, checking that it's clear, and going slowly when backing OUT of parking spaces. On the other hand, pulling forward out of a parking spot, means i'm more likely to put the car in gear and my foot on the gas. So it seems to me that we should line up the times when people are naturally more careful and the times when there are more potential obstacles: leaving parking spaces and entering traffic. ...Also, yes, low number of accidents IS in fact a reason to keep the current procedure, I'm a firm believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

It doesn't take a consultant to figure out that it was a bad idea.
Stop screwing up traffic for a minority entity.