The Perils of Not Having Enough Parking

Is it stupidity, ignorance, non-enforcement, or entitlement? You be the judge.

In recent weeks I have witnessed a half-dozen drivers pull a U-turn just to get an open parking space. The cake topper was just the other day when I

was stopped at a red light on Boston Post Road by the Square House and another car was stopped at the red light on Purchase Street in front of the Square House. The light turned green for the other driver who proceeded out onto the Post Road, where he made a U-turn to grab a parking spot on Purchase that apparently had opened up while he was waiting at the light.

Maybe I’m misinformed, but I thought it was against the law to pull a U-turn on Purchase Street, especially on Boston Post Road.

Are these drivers unaware of the law?

Perhaps they felt that with no police presence it was okay to pull a U-turn.

Or maybe, they felt they were entitled to do whatever was necessary to get a parking space in Rye.

We all know that there is a significant parking problem in downtown Rye, and that there has been one for many years. The 1985 Master Plan identified parking as a major challenge.

Either the City Council addresses the parking issue in Rye before someone gets hurt as a result of drivers making illegal U-turns or will address it after someone does. For now, the least we can do is enforce the law.