(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

There’s been plenty of early backlash from the public through phone conversation and social media over the newly installed “reverse parking” lines along 7th Avenue northbound (Route 18) in Beaver Falls.

In a non-recorded interview with Beaver County Radio, Beaver Falls City Manager Charles “Mick” Jones said that he understands the frustrations of the citizens in regard to the new change, even admitting that he himself wasn’t hot on the idea when he first heard about it.

However, Jones says that the reverse parking–according to studies–is less of a hazard than the old parking situation on 7th Avenue Northbound, and that it’ll prevent fewer collisions in exit situations in years past.

“But it’s not like we’re permanently locked into this,” says Jones. “If we’re still dealing with issues a year from now, we will re-evaluate things.”

Jones, formerly the city’s police chief, said that the main focus of the now is the entirety of the city’s restructuring and rebuild, including (but not limited to) a revamping of the southern end of Geneva College on Route 18, the county’s first ever all-green building, the restoration of the park area at the Carnegie Free Library, and continued improvements to the downtown area.

“This [reverse parking] is just part of a greater plan,” says Jones, “and this is only the beginning”. The restructuring of the downtown area was in conjunction with PennDOT, who Jones says acknowledges Beaver Falls as a good and continuing source of progress in the state with its ongoing progressive changes.

It also came with a $1 million grant to help with the new traffic patterns, “and we’d be foolish not to accept it,” Jones said.

But Jones knows that getting used to the changes will take a while. “I’m all ears,” he said, “if anyone wants to talk to me about this current situation.”