The Friday Harbor Town Council should grant David Taylor’s request for a driveway at his house on Guard Street.

For two years, Taylor has wanted to get in and out of his car without fear of getting struck by a passing vehicle.

For two years, he has wondered how his property, facing a minor arterial road, came to be landlocked, without access from the front or rear of the property. And he’s wondered why he can’t have a driveway although his neighbor has one.

David Taylor’s feeling of safety and security is affected by decisions made long ago, decisions that in retrospect seem haphazard and piecemeal. And the Town Council, whose predecessors made the decisions that created Taylor’s predicament, should do the right thing and correct it.

Here’s the problem: Town law requires that homes on Taylor’s block of Guard Street access their properties via Jensen Alley, to keep vehicles from backing onto busy Guard Street. But long before Taylor bought his home, his lot was subdivided and a home built behind his.

Today, he must park on Guard Street. Because his vehicle has a handicapped placard, enforcement officers don’t hold him to the parking limit. But Guard Street is 1 foot narrower than the street standards allow, and Taylor said getting in and out of his car is hazardous when both traffic lanes are busy.

An analysis by engineer John Hart shows that if Taylor had a driveway, he would have enough room to pull in, do a three-point turn in his backyard, and pull out nose-first.

Town officials say that in order for Taylor to have a driveway, they must change the law related to that portion of Guard Street. They fear Taylor’s neighbors would ask for driveways too, creating a risk of vehicles backing onto Guard Street.

Taylor has recommended an easy fix: Modify the law to say that no driveways will be allowed on Guard Street with the exception of those homes that don’t have access on Jensen Alley.

Taylor is entitled to the same sense of security enjoyed by his neighbors. The Town Council should make the law change so he can have his driveway and enjoy that security.