Saying the problem is most prevalent in front of Starbucks, town officials are seeking a new violation and $50 fine for those who park on a sidewalk in New Canaan.
Motorists routinely park on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks on Park Street, as the U.S. Postal Service letter carrier has here. Streetview photo
As it is, parking enforcement officers may issue a $30 fine under the category “Other” when motorists pull onto the Park Street sidewalk in front of Starbucks, according to Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg.
But a dedicated violation and fine more along the lines of what motorists face when they park in a crosswalk ($75) would be preferable, Miltenberg told members of the Parking Commission at their meeting Thursday.
“You know at Starbucks where they have the outside tables?” Miltenberg said at the meeting, held at Town Hall. “OK, you know the sidewalk in front of them? People park on that sidewalk, run in and get a coffee. [They park] literally in between the alley and Starbucks entranceway.”
Parking commissioners weighed the idea of a $30 fine, but ultimately decided to recommend a $50 fine.
Commissioner Pam Crum said she supported the higher fine “because the idea of obstructing the crosswalk is it’s unsafe to pedestrians.”
“It’s not just one wheel, it’s all four wheels on the sidewalk, obstructing and making it dangerous,” Crum said, adding that the practice forces pedestrians into the roadway.
Commissioner Chris Hering asked whether the fine would assessed to those who pop a tire up onto a sidewalk by mistaken when parking, and Miltenberg said no.
“It’s literally they park on the sidewalk,” she said.
Commissioner Peter Ogilvie said, “It’s pretty egregious.”
Chairman Keith Richey, who had been pushing for a lower $30 fine, asked whether those parking on the sidewalk on Park Street are running in and out for a coffee.
Miltenberg said “not if they have a carriage or anything,” noting that the illegally parking motorists still must walk around the terraced sitting area outside the coffee shop in order to get in and place an order.
This is a great idea, in theory. But, just like the constant parking in the handicapped spot at Starbucks, it will actually need to be enforced. The fine for parking in a handicapped spot starts at $150, but it is never enforced, so while this is a great idea, the follow-through needs to be there.
This is indeed a great idea and long overdue. In addition to enforcement it would be a good idea to build up the curb at the street, and perhaps a tree or two to reclaim the pedestrian space. This would make it feel like New Canaan again, instead of the South Bronx.
I thought it looked more like “The South Bronx” 20 years ago when there was a gas station on that spot. Starbucks with it’s park like seating area is a vast improvement. Even when it was a gas station there was no curb on Park Street side. Why now? It’s not like
Starbucks is new to the community. Has the problem gotten worse? Given the downtown business climate it seems to me that we need to be encouraging successful businesses like Starbucks instead of throwing roadblocks in front of them.
I just spoke with the regional manager about the parking issues. I had sent an email a few days ago. She said they are going to send out a facility manager to look at the parking lot and handicap spot. Let’s see what happens.