Sometimes it seems that when trying to solve one problem, another arises.
     This happened to the Seward City Council. Council-members were addressing the sight difficulties at the intersections of Fifth and Seward streets and Seventh and Seward streets. Those are the corners by Cattle Bank and Herpolsheimer's, for those who are unfamiliar with Seward's streets.
     Drivers at both corners, especially those coming from the north and the south, have a hard time seeing around the vehicles parked in the corner spots. They have to inch forward into the intersection, sometimes almost dangerously far into the intersection, before they can see around the vehicles parked at those businesses.
     The city's parking ordinances and related signs said pickups, sport utility vehicles and vans were not allowed to park in those spots. But that hadn't helped alleviate the viewing problem. So council members were addressing the issue.
     At a recent council meeting, the board considered changing the signs to allow motorcycles and compact cars only in the first three parking spaces at each intersection. The question was, however, how do you define a compact car? After some discussion, City Attorney Larry Brauer found a workable definition.
     During discussion at the June 5 meeting, though, vehicle speeds entered the fray. Evidently cars are speeding through those intersections and therefore they can't be seen by other drivers approaching.
     A motion to adopt the resolution changing the signs failed, and instead, the council voted to take the signs down completely and ask the city police to increase enforcement in those areas.
     That's not solving the problem, folks. It's not even close.
     The original solution of limiting the vehicles that may park in the first three spaces at each of the corners to compact cars and motorcycles is a good one. Smaller vehicles are easier to see around and over for other drivers in smaller vehicles. Drivers in larger vehicles don't have the same difficulty at these intersections because they're up higher and can see over everything anyway.
     Taking down the signs solves nothing. In fact, it may make those corners even more dangerous. Now SUVs, campers, even semi trucks could use the diagonal parking there. Drivers of compact and mid-sized cars will have to pull even farther into the intersection to be able to see oncoming traffic, and one time, they may pull out too far and another driver might not be able to stop.
     Increasing patrols at those intersections won't help either. The speed of the drivers isn't the point. People don't usually drive more than 30 mph on the brick streets. The speed limit is 25 in town and 20 in the business district. Plus, increasing patrols in one area decreases patrols in another.
     If the council wants to eliminate parking restrictions at those corners and still keep Seward residents safe, maybe traffic lights are the way to go. They'd have to be installed over the streets, though, because if they're on the corners, parked vehicles will shield them from oncoming drivers.
     Seward really doesn't need any more stoplights, though. If there is a problem at these intersections, put the signs back up and enforce the current laws we have. Don't make the issue something else, like speeding. Solve the problem first.