Town Board Alters Residential Parking Policy

Commercial vehicles will be banned from overnight parking in Harrison's residential neighborhoods starting March 1, after a 5-0 vote from the town board approved the law change Thursday evening.

Vehicles parked in the residential zones from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. will be ticketed $100. It is already illegal for commercial vehicles to park in residential driveways, meaning owners will need to look for alternative places to park.

Homeowners in residentially zoned neighborhoods in Harrison and West Harrison had been complaining about lack of parking and other aesthetic issues caused by the vehicles, board members said. Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini was instrumental in getting the law passed in an effort to resolve some of those issues.

But the new law hit a roadblock toward the end of 2011, as the board worked to define exactly which vehicles would be banned from parking overnight. Although New York State has its own definition of what a commercial vehicle is, the board opted for broader wording in order to prevent larger utility trucks without commercial plates from circumnavigating the law. 

Police and enforcement officers will largely use their discretion to determine which vehicles can and cannot park on the street, which drew concern from some residents who would prefer to just ticket vehicles with commercial license plates.

"I think it's totally ridiculous," said Robert Porto, who has voiced his objection to the law each time it has been discussed.

"I find it a very difficult thing to leave it to other people to determine what is and what isn't commercial," said resident Lucille Held, who also objected.

But making judgment decisions is nothing new for the police and code enforcement officers who will be issuing the tickets, lawmakers said. Marraccini said he is confident in his department’s ability to enforce the law fairly, adding that anyone who thinks they are wrongly ticketed can always appeal the decision.

As it stands, the law will target vehicles that are marked with business names, construction equipment and machinery or other indicators that the vehicle is being used for commercial purposes.

"It's not that I can tell you we are going to be perfect all the time," said Marraccini. "But I do believe that with the judgment that these police officers and some of the familiarity that they have with the neighborhoods and residents that this law will be enforced equally."

Police will begin giving warning notices to vehicles that would violate the law over the next few weeks so owners can find alternative places to park, Marraccini said. He said he is confident that he will be able to notify most of the offenders before the law goes into affect in March.