Council advances first reading on no-parking proposal after heated neighborhood debate

The West Warwick Town Council advanced a first-reading ordinance Tuesday that would ban parking on the west side of a neighborhood street, following a lengthy public hearing that split residents over property rights and safety concerns.

The ordinance, referred by the Traffic Safety Committee, proposes “no parking” on the west side of the subject street between Cedar Drive and Robin Lane (text in draft). The council received several hours of testimony from residents and traffic-committee members. The council voted to bring the ordinance back for a second reading after residents requested broader notification and additional review.

Traffic-committee members said the referral came from a resident report of cars parked on both sides of the roadway, which they said made it difficult for emergency apparatus to navigate. A traffic committee representative explained the recommendation as an effort to maintain a clear passage for apparatus and to reduce the number of vehicles forced into the opposing lane.

Residents who oppose the restriction said the main problem on the street is speeding and that a parking ban would take away homeowners’ ability to use curbside spaces in front of their houses. One resident, who has lived on the street for more than five decades, said in public comment that “who are we as a government body to tell these people they cannot park in front of their own home?” and warned that applying a single-street solution would invite similar requests townwide.

Other residents said sightlines on a steep hill create a real safety hazard when curbside cars force drivers into the opposing lane; one resident who said he had photographed the conditions told the council, “You have a chance of being hit by a car coming up the hill. But you can’t see the car coming up the hill until it’s too late.”

Council members expressed differing views. Some urged more neighborhood notification and a second hearing before final action; others said the traffic committee had studied the block and recommended a targeted restriction. The clerk confirmed that standard practice does not require direct mail notice to all affected homeowners for parking ordinances, but several council members asked staff to provide door-to-door notice before the second reading.

After public comment and council discussion, the body voted to advance the ordinance for a second reading and additional outreach. The council majority supported a second reading; the motion to continue the item carried by a recorded margin of 3–2, and the council set the second reading for a future meeting (council indicated intent to notify affected residents in advance).

Council members and staff encouraged neighbors to communicate directly and suggested that, where possible, town staff or council members attempt a friendly outreach visit to the property owners whose parking patterns prompted the referral. The council also discussed a broader townwide parking study or committee to address mounting parking concerns in multiple neighborhoods.