Parade Safety to take on a New Look
On Thursday December 2, 2021, the Parsons Annual Christmas Parade will return to some sense of normality but with one small change.
Starting this year, the parade route for the Christmas Parade between Central and 17th Street will have NO PARKING. The decision was made by city staff to keep the parking off the two blocks stretch for pedestrian safety. City officials heeded the warnings of citizens and parade planners and in the interest of public safety, close the two-block section of on street parking. There are still parking lots around the parade route as well as street side parking around the downtown area.
Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said," Each year there are numerous calls to dispatch about vehicles trying to drive through the parade, around barricades, ignoring directions of officers and event staff. We even have witnessed fender-benders after the parade. It's not the time during the parade that is always the main cause for concern, but when that final float goes by, all of the streets suddenly turn very chaotic. People that witnessed the end of the parade on Main Street refuse to wait for the parade to finish on Broadway and try to leave. That is a challenge for everyone involved. Most situations can be easily handled, but by leaving the cars in the middle of the parade route on Main Street it is only a matter of time before there is a devastating incident that the city could avoid."
In 2014, there was a pedestrian that was grievously injured after being struck on Main Street after the Parsons Annual Fireworks display. This was not a parade, but it was a city sponsored event and at its conclusion there was a terrible accident. It is only natural to want to prevent dangerous situations and anytime there is a vehicle in the path of a parade that is a recipe for disaster.
The Christmas Parade is a long-standing holiday tradition, and it would be disastrous for someone to be hit and injured during or after the event.
"My staff have told me each year the most dangerous part of the parade is the end of the route and when it is finishing up. People that are leaving on Main are always trying to drive through the parade route near Central and Broadway where the parade is still active. I have to over staff that intersection each year to prevent accidents. We have had frustrated citizens drive over cones, cuss out our officers and have almost hit children waiting for their rides due to the traffic involved. This is not something that I want on my conscience," finished Spinks.
Parsons Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd said, "I still want citizens to be careful when leaving the parade. Wait until it is over before leaving because our crews are not letting anyone drive through the parade until it is completed this year, we have had too many close calls that citizens don't necessarily hear about, and I don't want to gamble with the lives of our children."
The parade route on Main Street between Central and 17th will be posted as a NO PARKING ZONE for Thursday, December 2nd starting as 3pm until the conclusion of the parade at approximately 9 pm. This will allow for better pedestrian viewing of the parade and will provide a wider roadway for the parade and floats to traverse.
Car parking will still be available on the parade route on Broadway from 17th to Central.
Night Parades offer higher risks than daylight events. So, ensuring there is ample room on the Main Street corridor is a commonsense approach which the Parade Planning Committee supported.
Due to staff shortages, the police will have a higher reliance upon the use of other city employees and volunteers to staff a parade safety team for traffic and crowd control.
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