The City of Savannah is backing down from plans to enforce strict parking rules after historic downtown churches complained about the loss of a Savannah tradition.
It’s always been a ticketable offense to park on the yellow curb in Savannah. But on Sunday morning, on the city’s world-famous squares, church goers have been parking on yellow with impunity for as long as anyone can recall.
That all threatened to end recently when the city sent letters to downtown churches warning that officers would no longer look the other way. The city said, it was a safety issue. Fire trucks can’t get around squares jammed with cars.
That sent several congregations into a snit. Trinity United Methodist pastor Enoch Hendry says, he suspects the letter had more to do with tourist trolleys and that the faithful had gotten used to “heavenly parking.”
“Being able to park in front of the church, being able to just pull in around the squar is a tradition. To have it become inconvenient is a shame.”
Bowing to pressure, city officials now say, they won’t be as strict and will meet with church leaders to explore other options to the parking problem.
