Tech Parking Issues Still Plaguing 8th Street

Cookeville’s 8th Street still at the heart of parking issues caused by Tennessee Tech students parking illegally.

8th Street Resident Kris Ballinger said the city had police patrol the streets when the fall semester started and that momentarily helped the issue. Ballinger said the police have stopped monitoring the street as much and the parking issues remain.

“I’m looking out my window right now and it is bumper-to-bumper up and down the street,” Ballinger said. “It doesn’t go all the way to Washington Avenue cause you know the kids want to park as close to Tech as possible so as you get closer to Washington Avenue it thins down pretty good but right at our house it is pretty busy.”

Ballinger said she does not what Tech needs to do to fix the problem, but something needs to happen. Ballinger said she knows the city has made efforts to address the issue but is unsure about the university.

“I feel like they are letting the neighborhoods around the campus down by not building a parking garage or something like that to take care of the parking problem,” Ballinger said. “It is a problem and it’s not just our street.”

Ballinger said speeding on the street has also become an issue. Ballinger said she and other residents have met with the city to try and get speed bumps installed on the road.

“We’ve got young kids on the street and I’m just scared because if one of them were to step out they couldn’t be seen because of a car being parked on the street and it could be dangerous I’m concerned about both issues actually.”

Ballinger said the city has acknowledged concerns about parking and speeding on 8th Street but has since not done anything. Ballinger said the city responded that the issues are happening on other streets and if speed bumps are put in place it would open up a can of worms as other streets would want the same thing.

Ballinger said she loves living next to Tennessee Tech and does not have animosity towards the university. Ballinger said she believes the reason the issues have not been addressed is that there is not really an easy solution for the city or the University.