Parking Battle Brewing In Upscale Port Washington
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- If you live in New York City you know all about alternate side of the street parking, enabling streets to be cleaned.
But residents in one Long Island community could soon see their own version of the rule for a completely different reason, reports CBS 2's John Slattery.
In the upscale community of Port Washington, its Long Island Rail Road station is so popular, the parking lots fill up early, and there is restricted parking on many of the streets. So, dozens of commuters use the street and several others farther away because they can park there all day. Barry Loeb lives on Jeanette Drive.
"These are all, except for one car, commuter cars," Loeb said, pointing things out for Slattery.
WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs Reports From Port Washington
Podcast
Loeb, who's lived in the town for 23 years, said commuters park on his street all day long and can get ugly.
"The attitude is absolutely antagonistic. No, we will not do that, and we don't care. We have a right; we're gonna do whatever we want," Loeb said.
Some residents try to protect spots in front of their homes with garbage cans, but a councilman said alternate side parking would solve the problem.
"Well, it will clear up the streets. Commuters will not be able to park there because they will be ticketed if they do," North Hempstead Councilmen Fred Pollack said.
The proposal would affect Jeannette and Annette Drives, and Lina and Evelyn Roads from 10:30 a.m. until noon on one side and 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the other.
Jack Obadia is one of those who lives elsewhere but parks his vehicle on one of the targeted streets. He then walks a third of a mile to the train.
"I respect their feelings. We have needs, too, and there's not enough parking in this town for the train station," Obadia said.
If the issue is adopted, even the home owners would have to move their cars across the street. For many, it would be worth the trouble.
After a public hearing, the proposal is expected to come up for a vote on July 12.
Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below.
