NORTHBOROUGH – A no parking zone is coming to one side of Lyman Street.
During its Nov. 18 meeting, the Select Board approved a no parking zone on southbound Lyman Street between Bartlett Street and Ridge Road.
The Traffic Safety Committee was formed about a year ago.
According to a memo from Department of Public Works Director Scott Charpentier to Town Administrator Stephanie Bacon, a resident reported that tractor trailer cabs were parking adjacent to their property on the southbound side of Lyman Street near Bartlett. He said there’s a dirt area that was used as a food stand that the drivers have been using to pull over and rest.
“They had a concern with that — the idling diesels and miscellaneous unknown vehicles parking there,” said Charpentier.
After discussing the topic in August, the committee voted to recommend the no parking zone.
“I would support this ‘no parking’ area because where it is, there’s a little bit of a cut out. It does almost invite the truck to park there,” said Police Chief Brian Griffin.
Select Board member Julianne Hirsh noted that truck drivers needing to rest is an issue that comes up every now and then. She asked whether the larger problem was being addressed.
According to Traffic Safety Committee Chair Bill Pierce, there was already no parking, making it easy for the committee to put up a sign as there was already a regulation in place.
He said there was also a request for Stirrup Brook Lane following a report of trucks parking on the road. However, there is not a no parking regulation in place for the lane, and such a rule would have to be enacted first to be able to put up a sign.
“The issue was because it’s a residential area, we were concerned that putting up ‘no parking signs’ and then somebody has a party, all of a sudden you can’t park anywhere for that family party,” Pierce said.
Hirsh said there may be ways around it, such as specifying parking only for residents or letting the police know. Board member Mike Tietjen said he wondered if it would become a game a “whack-amole” where, after not being allowed to park in one place, the drivers fan out to find a location. He asked if there was something town-wide that could be implemented.
“We had discussed that,” said Pierce. “The problem is you can identify them as commercial vehicles, but then you’re taking into account a painting van.”
He said he wanted to look at a heavy vehicle exclusion —which requires a certain number of vehicles to go down the road to qualify — but he did not believe the road would meet that threshold.
Chair Mitch Cohen asked whether the exclusion could be applied to a vehicle based on its tonnage or length. Charpentier said that was discussed, but the police department liaison said that “no parking is no parking.”
“You cannot segregate whether it’s no parking for vans, trucks, convertibles, Chevys, heavy commercial vehicles – it’s one for all or all for none,” Charpentier said.
He said the Traffic Safety Committee discussed that, if a resident sees a tractor trailer parking in their area and it draws concern to call the police to have an officer have a discussion with the driver. Griffin confirmed that technically, the driver could stay.
