Residents have the opportunity to weigh in on changes to Greenville’s parking ordinance next week during a public hearing.
Town Administrator Tara Sousa said the main purpose of the changes is to give the town more authority to deal with vehicles left on the street.
“This would give the police to have the authority to address it, if vehicles are abandoned for an extended period of time,” she said.
The current ordinance lists restricted areas for parking, such as blocking a sidewalk, crosswalk or intersection, on bridges, parking with the left wheel to the curb or on the west side of the Greenville Fire Department. It also institutes a winter parking ban from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Nov. 1 to April 1.
During winter hours, residents may park in the restricted zone on Main Street if they inform the police department, and they are parked in front of a residence, but the same vehicle may not be parked for more than three consecutive days. Parking violations can be fined $15, and fines can be doubled if not paid within seven days.
The proposed changes keep those same rules and fines, but add additional prohibitions. Under the new ordinance, a person would not be able to park on any street, highway or public parking facility for the purpose of displaying the vehicle for sale or to display advertising, or to wash or perform maintenance, except as an emergency measure.
The proposed changes also ban leaving an unattended vehicle idling in the public way, unless the operating is using a lawfully installed remote start device. Residents could also not leave a vehicle in public parking for more than 48 hours, unless authorized by the police.
Commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles and recreation equipment could not be parked for more than two hours without authorization from the police. The ordinance would define a commercial vehicle as one that has more than two axles, or a height greater than 7 feet, or a weight greater than 11,500 pounds, or one that is registered as a commercial vehicle.
Selectmen will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes during its meeting scheduled on Wednesday, December 8, at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Meeting Room.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.