Glen Cove Proposes Non-Resident Parking Ban At LIRR Lots
GLEN COVE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- One Long Island city has proposed to fight commuter crowding by banning non-resident parking in local Long Island Rail Road lots.
Glen Cove Mayor Reginald Spinello said parking would be restricted to 'residents only' in city-owned lots at Glen Street Station and Glen Cove Station.
Under the proposal, violators would be charged with a $250 fine, Spinello said.
"I think it should be restricted to residents -- thats' part of the reason we pay the taxes that we pay," one resident told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.
The proposed rule would be enforced through license plate checks.
"If you want to charge a little extra for a non- resident, charge a little extra for a non-resident," Stephen Quigley, a commuter, said. "You can't ban them."
In Hicksville, one of the LIRR's busiest stations, there are fewer than 3,700 spots. Hicksville sees around 22,000 commuters every day.
"The LIRR does not control parking at most of its stations," LIRR officials said in a statement. "All but five percent of lots are owned and managed locally."
Some Long Island communities, like Mineola, Huntington and Ronkonkoma, have large parking structures to accommodate more commuter vehicles.
Last week, the Town of Islip announced it will start charging both residents and non-residents for permit access to the LIRR parking lot in Bay Shore.
Vision Long Island has called on the MTA to bring its resources to areas like Glen Cove, urging for collaboration in both private and publicly-owned commuter parking spaces.
'There is a lot of downtown growth that is happening right now and parking solutions are part of the equation, Eric Alexander, of Vision Long Island, said. "They really should work together,"
A public hearing to discuss the proposal will be held on Tuesday night.
If the $250 fine approach fails, Glen Cove officials said they would consider free or low-cost parking permits to locals, with a limited number of more expensivr permits for non-residents.
