SEQUIM — Sequim will remove parking on the north side of a small street, Cape Hope Way, after residents said the roadway had become unsafe.
Cape Hope Way — a small stretch of city roadway off South Fifth Avenue — spans less than 35 feet. Despite its relatively small size, the roadway serves as an entry point and parking for multiple entities, including Olympic Medical Center, Sequim Community Church and residents of Clasen Cove Estates.
Residents told the City Council on Monday that the street has become unsafe to travel for at least a year, with congestion from parking and various larger vehicles like ambulances and garbage trucks trying to traverse the area.
“It is a safety concern to us and is currently a very dangerous road to travel as presently configured,” said Carol Thomson, a Clasen Cove Estates resident.
She and other residents filled the council’s chambers to express their concern.
Thomson said employees began parking all day long on the south side of Cape Hope Way starting about a year ago. Eventually they began parking on the roadway’s north side, she said, heightening the residents’ concerns.
Homeowners and city officials said they met to seek a solution.
Sequim public works director David Garlington said Monday that homeowners suggested putting up signs reading, “Compact Parking Only” (following Clallam County Fire District suggestion), and city staff did so. But drivers continued to park larger vehicles in the area.
Sequim City Manager Charlie Bush said city staff will start with removing parking from the north side, and that “if it continues to be an issue, we’ll re-evaluate from there.”
Garlington said removing parking from the north side should suffice as it provides an additional 7 feet of driving space.
For more information about Sequim city streets, call Sequim Public Works at 360-683-4908.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
