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Council makes alternate-side parking changes on Lafayette Street after residents' safety appeals
Summary
Following public testimony from Lafayette Street residents about tight, single-lane street conditions and emergency access concerns, the council voted to repeal seasonal alternate-side parking and to prohibit alternate-side parking on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between Circular Street and Henry Street.
The Saratoga Springs City Council on Wednesday voted to change the parking rules on Lafayette Street after several residents described daily safety and access problems from cars parked on both sides of the narrow one-way street.
Colleen Grassi and Andy Williams, Lafayette Street residents, told the council that the street is about 24 feet wide in places, that parking on both sides makes driveway maneuvering hazardous and can block access for larger vehicles including delivery trucks and emergency responders. Grassi said that the summertime practice of allowing parking on both sides created “almost the daily issue of backing in or out of our driveway safely,” and that alternate-side parking would “help ... more safely exit our driveways.” Williams noted an incident when emergency responders extracted him from a situation on the street and said that the current width and both-side parking had created repeated access issues.
In response to residents' testimony and staff recommendation, the council repealed the seasonal alternate-side parking designation for Lafayette Street between Circular Street and Henry Street and enacted an ordinance that prohibits alternate-side parking on that block on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The changes were passed 5-0 and will be incorporated into the city's vehicle-and-traffic schedule 29.
What the change does: Previously the block had alternate-side parking in winter (November through April) and two-side parking in summer. Under the adopted change, the city will repeal the seasonal arrangement and instead restrict alternate-side parking on the specified days year-round, which residents and council members said will reduce situations where cars on both sides make travel and driveway maneuvering unsafe.
Why it matters: Lafayette Street residents emphasized concerns about emergency vehicle access and delivery/service disruptions. City staff and council members said the ordinance change aims to improve safety and everyday mobility on a narrow, one-way residential street.
Next steps: The city clerk and public-safety/DPW staff will update the city code and parking signage as needed; council recorded a unanimous vote approving the ordinance changes.
