I would like to vent my frustration with the Warwick Police Department, Parking Enforcement Division. While all of us who live, work and/or play in Warwick appreciate the myriad ways our governments raise funds and fill their coffers, it is hard not to feel that it is often at the expense of the merchants, who always seem to come last in their thinking.
Ever since the decision was made to devote precious resources to enforcing the existing parking regulations, the merchants have been a prime target. The spaces allotted to them are the furthest from the stores; ticketing is highly selective and some businesses are let to slide while others are harassed; allowed spaces are in the CVS parking lot which is so poorly maintained as to be dangerous: signs and pavement markings are unreadable and therefore often ignored by casual users; dirt and debris are left months after being deposited by snow accumulations; litter is not picked up; passive (though lucrative) parking infractions are often ticketed while much more serious illegal parking and driving (parking in traffic lanes, entering and exiting the lot via the wrong in/egress, driving in the wrong direction in one-way lanes, etc) are not.
The final offense occurred last month when a film crew was in town. On a workday morning, without any warning, every single spot in the usually empty parking lot was occupied. The only spots available, within the usual walking distance, were at 2-hour meters. Even with this inconvenience for Warwick’s everyday drivers, there was no advance notice given and no leniency granted. The town and village boards need to be held more accountable by the merchants, who are the biggest reason the downtown area thrives, but are given little consideration.
Regards,
Joanne Stefanacci
Warwick