Though a specific price hasn’t been landed on, town administrator John Grande said he will propose charging a daily fee for using the lot, which connects to the Vineyard Haven Steamship Authority terminal via a free bus.
Commuters and travelers that rely on short-term parking at the Tisbury park and ride may soon have to pay, if a new proposal is approved.
Drivers who have parked their vehicles at the popular commuter lot for three days or less have been able to park free of charge, but Tisbury town administrator John (Jay) Grande plans to put forward changes in order to increase the amount of money to care for the lot and other town assets.
Though a specific price hasn’t been landed on, Mr. Grande said he will propose charging a daily fee for using the lot, which connects to the Vineyard Haven Steamship Authority terminal via a free bus.
The Vineyard Transit Authority transported more than 100,000 passengers to and from the lot last fiscal year.
The Vineyard Transit Authority transported more than 100,000 passengers to and from the lot last fiscal year.
“Our recommendation is that there should be a daily fee,” Mr. Grande said in a phone interview. “These capital items, like repair of the parking lot…we do need some additional revenue to do that.”
The proposal comes as Tisbury police have been receiving a growing number of complaints about the lack of space in the lot, prompting extra patrols, said Tisbury police Lt. William Brigham.
Mr. Grande believed a fee would increase the turnover of cars in the parking lot, cutting down the number of times it’s at capacity. He plans to make the fee recommendation through an amendment to an agreement for the lot between the town, Steamship Authority and the Vineyard Transit Authority.
There has been no official recommendation for how much users should be charged per day, but Mr. Grande mentioned $2 a day as a possibility.
Currently, drivers can park vehicles at the park and ride for three consecutive days in undesignated spaces. For those parking longer than three days, payment can be made through a kiosk at the lot for $2 a day.
Parking for an extended period of time is allowed for those with permits. In the last fiscal year, Tisbury collected about $28,600 through 91 parking permits and about $12,000 from the kiosk, according to Mr. Grande. From July of last year to this past March, $25,300 has been collected through 70 permits. The kiosk collected over $21,000 in that same time period.
Tisbury police have boosted patrols of the lots after complaints.
Tisbury police have boosted patrols of the lots after complaints.
The lot is popular with Islanders and off-Islanders alike because of its proximity to the Steamship Authority. Off-Island commuters can take the bus from the terminal to the park and ride to get to the vehicles they use for work, while Islanders can park their vehicles when leaving Martha’s Vineyard.
According to Angie Gompert, the VTA administrator, the parking lot is vital for people coming on and off the Island. In the last fiscal year, 131,441 people took the route that runs between the ship terminal and the parking lot.
“It’s an essential service for the folks that use it, for sure,” said Ms. Gompert.
While most of the tickets issued in the lot are due to overtime parking, Lt. Brigham said another major issue in the lot is abandoned vehicles.
The police have begun criminally charging the people for abandoning vehicles in addition to towing the cars. If someone is found guilty, they will owe a $250 fine and their license can be revoked for three months.
“Sometimes people decide, instead of taking their car to a junkyard, they bring it to the park and ride,” said Lieutenant Brigham. “The park and ride has been the hotspot for abandoned motor vehicles.”
From July of last year to this January, the police department says that they towed 26 vehicles from the lot for a variety of reasons, including abandonment. In that same period, over 360 parking tickets were issued.
Overtime parking is not an issue unique to the park and ride. According to Lieutenant Brigham, the issue gets worse even closer to the Steamship.
“We write more tickets on Union street and in the Union street lot than anywhere else in town,” he said, “Even when the park and ride has plenty of spots, I think people will drive down there and park there for the convenience of it.”
Lieutenant Brigham emphasized that the contractors that park work vehicles in the lot are not the reason behind the violations in the park and ride lot.
“The contractors are legally able to be there,” he said. “They aren’t causing a problem.”
Lieutenant Brigham believes that the source of Tisbury’s parking problems is deeper than the number of parking spaces in town.
As housing costs increase, it is harder for members of the workforce to find a place to live on the Island. Since more employees are commuters, more of their work vehicles are taking spots in the park and ride, and the lot fills up faster.
“Ten to 15 years ago, most of the Island workforce was from the Island and lived here,” Lieutenant Brigham said, “I think the real root of the problem is the housing problem.”
Lieutenant Brigham added that the town may benefit from an additional parking lot, but that such a decision was up to the town government.
Mr. Grande has also looked into the possibility of creating another parking lot to take the pressure off the park and ride.
“I would like to, once I consolidate town hall and remove the annex, take that whole area from the annex down to animal control, and create a commercial contractor’s lot for individuals to pay to park there…That’s my big, long-term goal,” Mr. Grande said.
Although Mr. Grande announced last month that he would not be seeking reappointment when his contract ends next March, he is keeping his long term plans in mind.
“The annex are temporary trailers...and they’re showing their age, and we want to get those employees into a permanent facility,” Mr. Grande said. “It is all interrelated, but there’s opportunities here, so I want to capitalize on it.”
Comments
What would be nice of the
Earl Vineyard HavenWhat would be nice of the Tisbury PD would start ticketing vehicles all around town. They do not enforce the parking anywhere in town. You have vehicles parked on union street all day and sometimes for multiple days while the people go off on the boat for the day.
The town should change the overnight policy for the union street lot. You cannot even find a place to park to pick up people coming off of the ferry. Woodshole has no issues having a traffic cop handing out tickets all year long. This way it would force people and companies to use the park and ride and maybe they would purchase a permit too
The whole idea of free short
Not Just that easy VHThe whole idea of free short-term parking is to keep cars away from clogging up the downtown area.
Parking cars for off island ferry travel have crept up from Union Street, which the commenter above mentions but more have significantly moved up to Franklin street, William street and way out toward West Chop. The neighborhoods are becoming inundated with long-term parking, while people go off island not only for the day but for four or five days.
Once the school is complete, there should be a more organized and stickered way to park cars for short term travel off island in the school parking lot. Maybe even have that as the paid lot but keep the short term park-and-ride free.
if the police are ticketing so much on Union Street and the parking lot, why does the police officer or traffic person not help direct ferry traffic when a boat is offloading. They used to all the time. But there is very often no officer there.
I laughed at the write so
Earl Vineyard HavenI laughed at the write so many tickets on union street and the parking lot. I have a friend who works for the county and processes the tickets for them. She advised that the two towns that write the most tickets are Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. A town with the least amount of tickets that are processed is Vineyard Haven.
Wasn't the Park and Ride set
Thomas S Hodgson West TisburyWasn't the Park and Ride set to to keep cars out of downtown in the first place?
Charge at the Park and Ride lot, and where will people go?
Downtown, where they'll be even more of a problem.
Tisbury will shoot itself in the foot if it goes ahead with this bad idea.
Or charge for parking
StraphangerOr charge for parking downtown as well and make the park and ride slightly cheaper if you want traffic diverted there.
Why not build a multi- story
Maxine Vineyard HavenWhy not build a multi- story parking garage at the park and ride so there are enough spaces to go around? Building up even just two levels could solve this problem.
I agree, build larger lot
Vineyardsteve Oak BluffsI agree, build larger lot and charge commercial vehicles who are here making money and would gladly pay for a convenient consistent place to park!!!
Why further burden islanders that already pay over $800.00 a year to park at the palmer st. lot in falmouth ?
We are island residents. One
Mr. B ChilmarkWe are island residents. One of my great fears is that we will drive to the lot, planning to park for three-four days as we head off to meet the bus to Logan, and there will be no spot. Now what? Miss the boat, miss the bus, miss the plane. That's why I no longer dare try to park there to go over to Falmouth medical area off the Palmer lot. If I can't park at the Tisbury lot, then I miss my doctor appointment. So, I make a reservation, take the car, and people go nuts because they can't get a reservation.
Another idiotic idea.
R Scott Patterson EdgartownAnother idiotic idea.
This place gets worse by the
cranky pantsThis place gets worse by the second
How about a low fee
Inde West tisburyHow about a low fee (subsidized) service with reservations that picks people up at their homes and takes them to the steamship authority (and vice versua). Leave the cars home. That might sound costly but what are the costs of the alternatives? Larger lot, greater enforcement. My opinion is that the first priority should be local residents, and local workers, not contractors. It sounds like every precaution is being taken to make sure that the contractors needs are met first. Maybe charge them for parking and use thst $ to subside small vans that deliver people to the steamship.
Once again it is the islander
Islander61 OBOnce again it is the islander who is getting penalized because of abuse by a few. Is it not bad enough that the Steamship Authority has become so unreliable that we can't trust them to run on time and without interruption for no apparent reason, other than poor management? Not only do "islanders" have their parking fees in the Palmer Ave. lot increase every year, again, only hurting those who live here. Now you want us to pay for a lot that has been free because the town can't seem to manage the abandoned cars and those who use the lot to store their vehicles for work. You want to raise money, charge businesses who are using the lot as a storage facility for their vehicles. That will either get them to move them or they will have to pay for what every other business has to pay for, parking and storage. Thomas is correct, this is just going to move people down to town to park and clog the town streets. Will not one town government think of those who they are supposed to be representing? I hope Mr. Grande is reading these and sees that this Money grab is just another way to hurt those who live here. Your 2% short term rental tax and the $0.50 port tax should be enough for you to support this parking lot. Isn't that what the port tax is supposed to pay for, infrastructure that supports the SSA? Maybe you should have accepted the money the state was giving you to build your new school instead of rejecting the free money and now are footing 100% of the bill to build the same school you could have gotten at a 40% discount. Yeah, that was a good idea too wasn't it? STOP THIS IDEA NOW!!!!
Maybe the time has come to
Barbara Lampson TisburyMaybe the time has come to run our Tisbury Park & Ride a little more like the Palmer Lot in Falmouth. Do away with the coupons, put a body in a kiosk with a closeable gate, and greatly increase the daily parking fee - current fee of $2. is clearly inadequate - so increase to $10./ day. If this is too dramatic a price change, then do a stepped change over 3 years as we did when we increased the mooring fees - go $5./ day this year, $8. next year, then the following year to $10. and stay there. Most people who live here and use the park & ride frequently, or are coming to work here on the Viineyard due to the higher wages, should be able to pay the increased fee. This would also do away with people living in cars up there, or abandoning dead vehicles.
If the fee from the Steamship Authority, which serves all the Towns equally but impacts Tisbury far more than any other town, were adequate to the task the Park & Ride would function better.
Too much financial burden for using Tisbury as the main conduit port to the mainland is borne by the Town of Tisbury, and we can’t afford it. The cost of any future accommodations to parking and traffic, as well as the cost of policing those issues, needs to be shared equally by the entire island and the Steamship Authority.
Barbara, I live here and I
Islander61 OBBarbara, I live here and I couldn't afford your plan. Most of us who live here can't afford what you are proposing. Tisbury receives the $.50 per ticket for every passenger who disembarks in Tisbury. That money alone should be enough to manage the park and ride lot. That is what that tax was designed to do. In Oak Buffs, when that dock opens, doesn't prohibit people from parking along Seaview Ave or charge them to do so. They also don't charge people from parking in the neighborhoods around town like Tisbury does. Maybe it is time to consider a free "resident" sticker for all island residents that would allow free parking in this and other areas. In reference to your comment, "Tisbury is the most impacted town", do you really want to go there? In OB we provide services for the hospital, the high school, community services, Harbor Homes, YMCA, ice rink, and SSA. The costs to support those entities are paid for solely by OB residents but used by all island communities. Maybe it is time to come together as a whole island community and support each other and not point fingers at each other.
How about free parking for
Larry Slater EdgartownHow about free parking for one day so islander day trippers can park free to go to medical appointments and shop in Falmouth?
Residence stickers for people
Shawn VHResidence stickers for people who pay taxes in Vineyard Haven all others should pay maybe like at the airport.
They have taken away all the
Ken EDG.They have taken away all the short term downtown parking, it should be free.
Free.
michael chilmarkFree.
A buck to ride the bus.
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