Parking Issues at LIRR Stations Could be Thing of the Past

For years, members of the Bellmore and Merrick community have had to battle for parking spaces in their home LIRR lots and fighting this has been an ongoing issue in the towns.

Why? Because there have been no regulations on parking and no Town of Hempstead passes necessary, so people from other communities head to these lots and hop on the train. Whether it is because they can catch the express or because it is cheaper to come from the Bellmore-Merrick zone instead of further east, these parkers leave little spots available for residents.

"Local commuters cannot find parking spaces at the Merrick or Bellmore train stations past 7:30 a.m.," said Claudia Borecky, president of the . "Although they are proposing to restrict only about 10 percent of the spaces, town residents should will have a better chance to get a space that might have otherwise been taken by a Suffolk or Oyster Bay resident."

That is all about to change. Thanks to the work of the local civic associations, Borecky and Larry Rubenstein, of Bellmore, a pilot program is now being launched at the Bellmore and Merrick LIRR stations to alleviate some of the headache. 

Under the pilot program, some lots will only be open to Town of Hempstead residents with a valid Town of Hempstead parking pass. The passes cost $3 annually.

However, said Borecky, she is hoping that the Town will take this issue into further consideration after the results of the pilot program are in.

"I am hoping that the Town holds a hearing on this issue at this stage of the process. They claim they are now looking at maps and jursidiction issues. We discussed this with the Town Board's majority counsel and he promised community input. It is imperative that the community have a voice in the planning and design of the proposed permit parking spaces," Borecky said.

How do you feel about the parking situation at the Bellmore and Merrick lots? Take our poll or sound off in the comment section below!

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