Mayor says parking problem has shifted since 72-hour restriction enacted at MTA lot
Mayor George Hubbard Jr. asked the Greenport Village Board Thursday evening to readdress parking in the village following the implementation of limited-time parking laws on Fourth Street.
The local law, approved Feb. 28, added a 72-hour parking restriction to the Fourth Street lot owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, located south of the train tracks. The issue came to light last year after locals and board trustees noticed vehicles were parked in the lot for several months. A public hearing was held in January.
The lot is monitored regularly, village officials said, meaning a code enforcement officer tracks which vehicles are in which spots Monday using street markers, and then again on Wednesday.
While people are no longer parking in that lot, Mr. Hubbard said, he’s observed folks have migrated to the nearby parking lot intended for the Maritime museum guests and Shelter Island Ferry travelers, located closer to the MTA just south of Wiggins Street near the Railroad Museum of Long Island.
“We need to address the problem, because people have moved from one spot to the other,” he said, “and people have not changed their habits yet.”
The mayor suggested putting up signs telling drivers that they can park in the MTA lot as long as it’s for less than 72 hours.
“Everyone’s scared of it now,” he said. “We cleared up one parking lot and congested another.”
Board trustee Mary Bess Phillips suggested that local charter boats use the 72-hour MTA lot. The responsibility of notifying boaters would fall on the board, she said.
The mayor asked that people parking at the Long Island Rail Road lot for longer than 72 hours should park elsewhere, be dropped off, or take an Uber or other taxi service.
Village administrator Paul Pallas said he will look into the number of cars that are sitting in the Railroad Museum lot and report back to the board.
Photo caption: Mayor George Hubbard Jr. at Thursday night’s village meeting. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)
