Riverhead residents frustrated as new 2-hour parking limit takes effect along riverfront
Residents living near the lots said they hope town officials will work with them to find a solution.
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A new two-hour parking limit is being enforced in two municipal parking lots behind East Main Street along the Riverhead riverfront, leaving some nearby residents scrambling to find long-term parking.
Michelle Barnes, who lives nearby, said the change has created a significant hardship, especially as she recovers from a recent hip replacement.
“It’s a problem for me because I just had a hip replacement,” Barnes said. “It takes me a very long time to get up and moving around.”
Barnes said she has been using a motorized scooter to move her car every two hours to avoid receiving a parking ticket. She is currently on a waiting list for a parking space in her apartment building’s garage but says she has no permanent parking alternative in the meantime.
Video captured by another resident shows police issuing tickets in one of the affected lots.
Kanice Harris, another Riverhead resident, questioned where residents are expected to park under the new restrictions.
“We’re supposed to park, what, like two blocks away and then carry our groceries?” Harris said.
Stanley Bryant said the area’s ongoing development has already strained parking availability.
“It’s tough around the area because there’s nowhere to park,” Bryant said. “They opened up all these new buildings and new places. You’ve got a big park coming over here. Where are people going to park their cars?”
Residents living near the lots said they hope town officials will work with them to find a solution.
“We have to worry about the tickets because we’re going to be here for more than two hours,” Barnes said.
Several residents said they are uncertain why the new parking rule is being implemented. Signs posted in the lots state the two-hour parking limit is in effect daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
