Government

Additional Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Proposed

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New Canaan has fallen behind “peer” municipalities such as Westport and Greenwich in how few electric vehicle charging stations it offers visitors, a deficit that the town could start to address this spring, officials said last week. With just four public stations compared to some 30 in other towns, New Canaan isn’t doing as much as it could to draw those seeking to shop, dine or see major attractions such as the Philip Johnson Glass House, and to ease the “range anxiety” of those visitors with electric vehicles, according to Parking Commissioner Chris Hering. Strategically placed around the downtown, the additional charging stations could be marked “electric vehicle preferred” so that regular gas-powered cars could use them, too, Hering said at the Commission’s March 14 meeting. They also could be set up efficiently as “dual-headed tandem stations” so as to serve a cluster of four parking spots at once, he said. “There is an increase in electric vehicles in the state and the trend is for more electric vehicles at an accelerating pace,” Hering said at the Commission’s meeting, held in Town Hall.

Government

Parking Commission Votes 3-2 To Keep Permit Rates Flat Next Year

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A divided Parking Commission voted last week to keep rates for all permits to town lots flat for next fiscal year. With some commissioners pushing for relief especially for commuters who already face the highest annual fees for parking permits, the appointed body voted 3-2 during its March 14 meeting to keep rates flat. The recommendation now moves to the Board of Selectmen. 

Commissioner Chris Hering noted that the MTA is already raising its own rates. “I really think we want to drive ridership and given our that our Talmadge Hill parking lot is not full—we don’t have waitlist there—and, this is anecdotally, but people are happy when they are the newcomers and they can commute and get a permit in Talmadge Hill it’s nice,” Hering said during the meeting, held in Town Hall. In pushing back against one proposal for an across-the-board 2 percent increase in permit rates—which would see the cost of commuter lot permits go up more than others—Hering said that New Canaan already is a less attractive town for many commuters because it’s a longer ride and more difficult to find parking at rail lots than many others. 

“It’s a matter of creating an incentive for them or having them drive down to Darien for less money,” Hering said.

Chris Hering

Town Upholds $150 for Woman Who Parked in Disabled Space on Elm Street

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Town officials this month upheld a $150 ticket issued to a Wilton woman who had parked in a space on Elm Street designated for disabled people. 

Marie Donahue during her appeal hearing told members of the Parking Commission that a FedEx truck was parked next to the space, located in front of the Playhouse and designated only by a sign and not by blue paint in the street itself, when she pulled up on the morning of Dec. 28. “I passed the truck and the truck was apparently obstructing the handicapped sign,” she said during the Jan. 10 hearing, held at Town Hall. “So yes, I was parked there but I did not see the sign.

Government

Due to Problem Out Front of Starbucks, New ‘Parking on Sidewalk’ Violation, $50 Fine Proposed

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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. 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?

Government

Town Upholds $30 Ticket for Woman Who Parks in Loading Zone on Forest Street

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Officials this month upheld a $30 ticket for a woman visiting family in New Canaan who had inadvertently parked in a loading zone on Forest Street. Jennifer Gubilaro told members of the Parking Commission at their most recent meeting that she had been going to Embody Fitness Gourmet for healthy drinks each morning, and found herself parking on either side of the street as close to the business as possible. Though she noticed the striping directly outside of Heritage Square, Gubilaro said during her appeal hearing, she only noticed the white lines on Forest Street designating the various parallel parking spaces and not the signage indicating a loading zone. “I just parked on the left and I looked on the street,” she said during the hearing, held at Town Hall. “I noticed those white things you park inside of and I thought it was a regular parking spot.”

It is, though for a few hours in the morning it’s a loading zone, according to a sign.