More snow? Snow problem!
Each winter for the last few years, the White Plains Road Municipal Parking Field has faced a difficult challenge – plowing and shoveling accumulated snow from snowstorms. However, there may be a solution to this recurring problem.
The half meter, half permit public parking lot located on 2071 White Plains Road between Maran Place and Brady Avenue, has struggled with snow removal, causing limited parking and forcing vehicles that would normally park in the lot to park or even double park on the street, congesting that portion of the White Plains Road commercial strip that leads to Pelham Parkway South.
The dilemma begins just after a snow storm, when the Department of Transportation and the Sanitation Department attempt to plow and apply salt to the lot. When the long-term parking permit holders don’t move their vehicles the lot’s snow removal effort is seriously impacted..
The 35,000 square foot parking lot that holds 93 spaces, including five spaces for people with disabilities, may finally have a solution to this yearly winter reoccurrence, however.
A recent Transportation Committee Meeting, which took place at Community Board 11, 1741 Colden Avenue on Monday, March 2, brought up the topic after a complainant requested CB11’s support to ask the DOT to place flyers on vehicles in the lot to alert them of a time when they must be removed to allow for a complete snow removal.
This proposed plan will aim to keep all of the lot’s spaces open 365 days of the year.
“It’s bad enough that side streets sometimes take weeks to get cleared of snow,” said Elaine Feder, treasurer for the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association who is a longtime resident. She went on to explain that the parking lot is of high importance to the neighborhood.
“There are residents who return home late at night and can’t find parking on the street, so this lot becomes a convenient option for them,” she said. “Once winter hits, these options become less and less available.”
The lot has since been cleaned from a snowstorm that took place on Thursday, March 5, that brought in almost six inches of snow.
Although discussions from the committee meeting led the committee to agree that this request was not CB11’s responsibility, the board has done its part in communicating these complaints and put a potential plan in motion to avoid future snow accumulation occurrences in the lot.
It was later suggested at the meeting that the complainant call 311 to register his or her concerns.
“The DOT has engaged in efforts to mediate the snow that has gathered at the lot in question by applying salt,” a DOT spokesperson stated. “Complainants are recommended to register their issues with 311.
Additional reporting contributed by Robert Wirsing.
