Kittery bans public parking on entryway to Badgers Island West. Traffic and safety cited.

KITTERY, Maine — Public parking has been banned along the initial entryway of Badgers Island West near the Memorial Bridge due to concerns over traffic and safety.

In the fall, Badgers Island West residents contacted town officials to speak out against parking congestion on the narrow roadway. Just prior to Christmas, Town Manager Kendra Amaral, Police Chief Robert Richter and Fire Chief David O’Brien met with residents and business owners for a site walk.

“There’s been parking that’s been going on along the street that’s been creating some safety concerns, some issues with people being able to flow in and out with their vehicles,” Amaral told the Town Council at its Monday night meeting.

Details of parking rule changes on Badgers Island West

Based on previous recommendations made by town staff, the Town Council opted to amend Title 10 of town code to permanently prohibit parking on both sides of Badgers Island West for the first 250 feet of the road, upon entering off Route 1 from a westerly direction. The parking restriction ends near a utility pole on the road.

Aside from general traffic safety among residents, business owners and employees, the town was aiming to leave enough room for emergency vehicles to be able to travel down the road.

The Town Council vote was unanimous, with chairperson Judy Spiller remarking before the vote, “Action seems like a matter of public safety.”

What people are saying about parking rules

A public hearing on the matter was held before the council’s vote.

Badgers Island Marina owner Darren Lapierre spoke about the difficulty of navigating through public parking, noting that nearby condominium owners continuously ask him about whether there were going to be changes made by the town to fix the bottleneck.

On two different occasions while towing a boat on his vehicle, Lapierre almost caused crashes on the crowded Badgers Island West.

“This is going to be a good thing,” he said about the proposed changes.

Amaral commented Monday that once the summer ends, the Town Council could go back and make adjustments to the code based on feedback from Badgers Island West residents.

“But this is the first step in trying to address safety concerns and access concerns that we heard from the neighborhood,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kittery ME bans public parking on entryway to Badgers Island West