Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents ask board to reject Lenox Avenue one-sided parking restriction; board receives and files request
Summary
Residents who live on Lenox Avenue urged the Amherst Traffic Safety Board to reject a proposed one-sided daily parking restriction (6 p.m.–8 a.m.), citing lack of formal traffic or speed studies and a risk that removing parked cars could increase vehicle speeds. The board voted to receive and file the request and take no further action now.
The Town of Amherst Traffic Safety Board on Aug. 5 received a resident request to install a one-sided parking restriction on Lenox Avenue and, after public comment, voted to "receive and file" the proposal rather than move it forward to implementation.
Engineering liaison Chris Schreigel presented the revised request (initially proposed as alternate parking but revised to one-sided) and said the petitioner cited pedestrian safety, emergency access, school-bus operations and easing vehicle zigzagging. Chris reported town outreach returned six opposing households and four in favor; a town crash review found one reported crash in 2019 that was unrelated to parked vehicles.
Several residents urged the board to reject the restriction in the absence of objective data. "Safety policy should be based on evidence, not assumption," said Jeff Gerhardt, who told the board he has lived on Lenox for more than a decade and that he could not recall parked cars ever blocking emergency access. Kevin Ketchum, another long-term resident, described the proposal as likely to displace parking to adjacent streets and said, "without some formal study to indicate that there actually is some safety concern that this would be denied."
Chair Eric Fraas noted the board is advisory and that any parking restriction would require town-board action; he said the town typically reserves one-sided permanent restrictions for 24-hour situations or event-driven needs. Fraas moved to "receive and file" the item and the motion — seconded by Dan Ryder — passed on a 6'to'0 voice vote. Fraas said the board would keep the record on file so future requests could reference the submitted materials, but no sign installation or formal change will occur at this time.
What happens next: the board retained the submission for possible re-evaluation if new data or requests arrive; residents who oppose or support the change will remain part of the record.
