Parking along the Kansas City streetcar route is a tight squeeze, and 41 Action News found out why.
We measured the width of parking spaces at four points along the route.
At 4th and Main, spaces were labeled for compact cars only and measured 78 inches or 6.5 feet wide.
Just off Independence and Delaware, parking spaces were 81 inches or 6.75 feet side.
Truman and Main, spots along the route were 84 inches or 7 feet wide.
On 16th and Main, we measured a parking spot at 73 inches or 6 foot, 1 inch wide.
The city parking ordinance requires compact car spaces be 7.5 feet wide and standard car spaces be 8.5 feet wide.
Not one of the points listed here met those requirements.
"We would not be surprised. Some of the spaces are smaller than that. We acknowledge the fact that they are," said Sean Demory with Kansas City Public Works. "We have done as much as we can to maintain as much parking as possible at the request of business owners."
Just this week, a car was clipped by the streetcar during testing. The vehicle was parked over the white line that is meant to be a guide for drivers.
John Dobies parked with one wheel on the curb.
"With all the publicity about staying off the streetcar tracks and the car that was hit yesterday, I was really careful to stay within that line," Dobies explained. "It's wide enough for my car, but if I had an SUV I might look for somewhere else to park."
The city emphasized that large vehicles will not be able to park in every spot along Main Street and that there is ample parking on other streets downtown.
Demory added: "There is concern. It's something that we are continuing to monitor. That's why we're marking spaces as spaces for compact vehicles."
More signs will also likely be installed although a time frame has not been set.
Tom Green, another driver we talked to, said: "That doesn't surprise me at all that they're much more narrow. Actually, I think the city would be more concerned than the car getting clipped, but that's on them."
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Dia Wall can be reached at dia.wall@kshb.com.
