MERCEDES – Some residents in a Mercedes neighborhood are fed up with people parking on their streets to get to the livestock show. They said this causes a lot of traffic in the area and they worry it may impact emergency vehicles.

Debbie Kelley, a Mercedes resident, said the parked cars are making it difficult to drive to her neighborhood.

“In the evening it gets really packed. They park on both sides of the street and my truck barely makes it through,” she said.

Many homes near Kelly offer cheap parking on their properties, but many choose to just park along the roads.

“People don’t want to pay and they choose just to park on that little strip,” she said.

Many of the road ways in surrounding neighborhoods of the livestock show only allow one vehicle to pass through at a time.

Kelly said she’s worried it may cause problems in times of an emergency.

“The ambulance can’t get through where they’re parking and that’s what I’m afraid of,” she said.

Kelly said she’s on disability and has a 911 call button in case something happens to her.

“If they can’t get through here, how are they going to reach me?” she said.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS spoke with the Mercedes Police Department to check if they’re prepared for an emergency with packed roads.

“We make sure that we have enough clearance in case an emergency vehicle do need to come out. We have staff and ambulance on this side of town,” Mercedes Police Chief Olga Maldonado said.

The police chief said it’s not unusual for them to have to take action against people who block traffic.

“If somebody is blocking someone’s driveway and it’s not a family member, people know that they can call us and by all means we will come out and impound the car, because you cannot legally block a driveway,” she said.

Maldonado urges people to use the stock show parking, as it has plenty of room and wont’ block homes.

Police are also warning residents to not leave valuables inside their cars when going to the livestock show. They said if it’s in view, it can be a target for thieves.

“Same thing as if you were shopping, you park, and you make sure you put your items away. You be as vigilant as possible. Be careful. There’s a lot of people walking in, there’s a lot of people that drive,” Maldonado said.

Anyone who sees cars blocking driveways or suspicious activity can contact Mercedes police at (956) 565-3102.