Marshalltown drivers will need to start back-in angled parking on Center Street in the downtown.

At the grand reopening of the intersection of Center and Main streets, Marshalltown Police Department Lt. Chad Hillers gave the small crowd of attendees instruction on how to properly perform such parking as Chief Chris Jones backed a squad vehicle into a spot.

The first step a driver should take is pulling the vehicle ahead until the back tires are past the lines of the parking spot. The passenger side mirror or a back camera will be helpful in the process.

“When you’re swinging back, using your passenger side mirror, most cars leave a foot of space between the car and the line, and you’ll be good to go,” Hillers said. “When you initially pull past the stall, you can see there’s nothing behind you there. That’s why it’s so much safer doing this as opposed to the parking we used to have when you’re trying to parallel park. A lot of people struggle with that.”

The reason back-in parking is better than standard angled as it removes the blind spot when a driver tries to pull out of the parking spot, especially on a busy street, he said.

“It creates traffic issues,” Hillers said. “It’s a lot easier backing into a spot like this, because when you go by the stall, you know there’s nothing directly behind you. So, it’s just getting your car straight with the lines on both sides.”

He stressed they do not want people to pull into a spot with the front end. In those cases, when the driver is leaving the parking space, they will back out into the wrong lane of traffic and try to cross two lanes.

“It’s extremely unsafe,” Hillers said. “We highly discourage pulling into those stalls front-ways.”

Tickets for pulling into a spot with the front will not be issued yet, as Hillers said they want to give people the chance to figure out the new process.

In a speech before the lesson, City Administrator Carol Webb welcomed everyone to the grand reopening and ribbon cutting.

“It’s a cornerstone of downtown Marshalltown that is now open for business, connection and community,” she said.

While Webb said yesterday’s reopening was a celebration of a major milestone, the city is also looking ahead.

“This is one phase of our larger vision for downtown Marshalltown,” she said.

The city is excited to be turn the downtown into a vibrant, beautiful destination for people to gather and businesses to thrive, Webb added.

The project is more than just concrete and sidewalks, but is a symbol of progress and the power of partnerships with the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, Marshall County, the Marshalltown Arts & Culture Alliance and the Marshalltown Central Business District.

In the private sector, she thanked Emerson for investing in the downtown, Bolton & Menk for designing the streetscape and the contractor Construct.

“I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the city’s project manager Heather Thomas,” Webb said. “Heather worked tirelessly behind the scenes and in the field to keep this project on track, navigate challenges and ensure a result the entire community can be proud of.”

The streetscape project will continue on Center Street from north of the Main Street intersection to south of State Street, and that section of the road will remain closed for an estimated two more weeks. Main Street is also closed from east of Center to west of First Avenue.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

bradstream@timesrepublican.com.