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Mount Vernon residents raise speeding, hydrant parking and double-parking concerns; council agrees to follow up
Summary
Residents told the City Council they face chronic speeding, cars parked at a fire hydrant and routine double-parking on neighborhood streets. Council members said they will add the locations to a citywide traffic study, alert police for enforcement and consider additional signage.
A Mount Vernon resident told the City Council on Wednesday that drivers regularly speed between Westchester and Gramminton avenues, cars are frequently parked in front of a fire hydrant at 34 East Grand Street, and vehicles routinely double-park on Brampton Avenue, blocking traffic.
The complaints came during the council’s public comment period from Barbara Schrock, who said the problems occur "every day and every night" and described times when double parking made streets impassable for buses and emergency vehicles.
The issue drew responses from council members during the council comments portion. Councilwoman Kaitlyn Gleason said the Department of Public Works (DPW) has enlisted a traffic‑study firm and is issuing a request for proposals; she said she will ask that the study include the locations Schrock named. "I'll ask them to add this to that RFP," Gleason said.
Councilman Thompson told Schrock the council would "look into" enforcement options and try to get parking enforcement to ticket hydrant violators. "We just need to get some bodies out there to prevent the speeding and also get an enforcement office out there to get ticket those who are parking by the hydrant," he said.
Council President Danielle Brown and Gleason also discussed signage. Gleason said she would ask legislative staff to coordinate with DPW about installing clearer "Do Not Enter" signage on East Grand Street to make the one‑way direction more apparent.
The council did not take a formal vote on these items at the meeting. Instead members described next steps: add the locations to the citywide traffic study, follow up with DPW about signage, and alert the police to increased enforcement. Gleason cautioned the resident that the traffic study is a multi‑step process and "it won't be overnight." The council did not specify a timeline for the follow‑up actions.
The public comment and the council’s responses were part of a broader meeting that also addressed charter review concerns, cultural‑center naming, and multiple ordinances on the legislative agenda.
Council members asked residents to provide addresses and any additional information to the clerk or legislative assistant to help DPW and the police locate problem areas for the forthcoming study and enforcement efforts.
