SALISBURY — New "parallel parking only" signs along the southern part of Atlantic Avenue are coming down, after area residents promised they would police their own parking habits to make sure the narrow road remains wide enough for emergency vehicles to pass.
More than 50 Atlantic Avenue residents lobbied the Board of Selectmen and Town Manager Neil Harrington last night to either remove the signs or cover them up until a task force can work on a better solution than parallel parking to reduce the number of cars able to park on the street.
Signs recently erected forbid traditional head-in parking on the dead-end road, jammed with closely packed beach homes on the east side and the sands of Salisbury Beach State Reservation on the west side. With more than 65 single-family dwellings along the street, sometimes two deep, there has always been a problem finding enough parking for the residents. Beach-goers add to the congestion.
Harrington said the issue is one of public safety, not an intent to disrupt people's lives.
The town manager said he was recently approached by Board of Health Chairwoman Joanne Housiantis, who indicated she and others were concerned with the customary habit of head-in parking on both sides of the road, which narrowed the already small lane to the point fire engines or ambulances at times couldn't get where they need to go as fast as required to save lives and property.
After listening to Housiantis and taking the petition she provided, Harrington contacted Public Works Director Don Levesque as well as the fire and police chiefs. The three told him the concern was real: At times, emergency vehicle access on the street had been an issue for responders.
"You can't have a situation where you have an ambulance that can't get by because parked cars are blocking access," Harrington said.
After some discussion with the three town officials, Harrington approved the placement of "parallel parking only" signs along the west side of Atlantic Avenue. After that, the reaction was swift, and it wasn't pretty.
"No sooner had the signs gone up, but people started complaining," Harrington said. "I think one of their biggest concerns is that no one contacted them before the signs went up, and I'll take the hit for that."
More than one of those who rose to the podium last night chastised Harrington for not sending out a mailing or calling a meeting before the signs were installed to get feedback from residents who have lived there for years, and in some cases, generations.
"I plead guilty," Harrington told them.
Atlantic Avenue resident Don Egan, who is also chairman of the Planning Board, put forth a solution. He said although public safety is always an important factor in people's daily lives, if town officials would get together with the residents, he was sure a solution could be found that works for everyone.
"I'm more than willing to do that," Harrington said.
The signs will be removed, at least for the rest of this season, provided residents use common sense to ensure large emergency vehicles will have room to pass. In addition, Harrington agreed to invite residents to a meeting with him and other town officials and to listen to their concerns and ideas on how to improve both the safety and parking situation in the area, without the need for further parking restrictions.
"I've lived (on Atlantic Avenue) for 20 years and it's probably true it would be difficult for emergency vehicles to get down the road at some time, but it's very rare, and usually because someone has (parked irresponsibly)," Mike Kobos said.
But Kobos added that "as a neighborhood," residents have already begun to "step up to the plate," and make sure their parked cars don't intrude on the roadway or block access to people's property.
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