Cadieux parking ban upsets residents
as road project nears completion

It wasn't exactly a fine-print issue, but some residents of Cadieux Road are just now realizing the price they'll pay for their nice new roadway—a ban on all parking on Cadieux between Kercheval and Jefferson.

Cadieux as it exists is 2.5 feet too narrow to allow one-side parking with two-way traffic, under Michigan Department of Transportation rules, said Paul Weitzel, director of public service for the City of Grosse Pointe. Newly resurfaced streets are supposed to be even wider, leaving the city no choice but to bring it into compliance. Because the $500,000 reconstruction project, begun this spring and nearing completion in July, was 80 percent financed by MDOT, it is "probably not" open to negotiation with the state, Weitzel said.

This upsets residents, said Greg Jakub, who is leading a campaign by residents to fight the change. 

"I can't believe this didn't occur to the city planners and leaders (when the project was approved)," he said. "I can only speculate on how or why they ignored it." 

Jakub said residents are concerned not just about the inconvenience of losing parking, but of the possibility of increased traffic speed on Cadieux. Drivers were forced to slow down on the narrow road when cars were parked there, he said. With many families with young children living there, speeding is a safety issue.

Jakub drafted a letter endorsed by 27 households and sent to the mayors and councils of both the City and the Park. It seeks answers to several questions, including, "How do the Cities plan to make residents of Cadieux whole again to compensate for the long-term hardship caused by the parking shortage and the loss of access to our property?" 

Jakub wouldn't speculate on the residents' chances of success, but Weitzel said he believed permanent restoration of parking is a long shot: "This is a matter of feet, not inches," he said, adding that the street has had more than its share of sideswipe and clipped-mirror accidents, which bolster the case for a ban.

Weitzel said that if the parking ban holds, residents will still be able to have occasional parking privileges on Cadieux, which they can request for parties and other gatherings. The city will provide cones and permits free of charge.

And, he added, police will not treat the street as a gotcha zone for violators: "No one will ticket them for parking 15 minutes for unloading."

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