Pocono News Section

Parking Problems

Parking Problems - Monday, February 11, 2008 at 4:50PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Monday, Feb 11, 2008 @04:50pm EST
STROUDSBURG - For years residents thought they could park any where there was a parking meter, or anywhere they didn't get a ticket -- but recently they learned that's not the case.

"There's so many people up here parking it's ridiculous," said Todd Beatty of Stroudsburg.

The roads in Stroudsburg are usually crammed with parked cars - some too close to stop signs and intersection. Stroudsburg officials and police say it's dangerous. So officers have started to enforce state parking laws. You have to park 20 feet away from a cross walk at an intersection. That rule applies even if a parking meter is placed in the no parking zone.

Residents are now angry. Some who can't find a spot on the street can fight for a space in a small community lot but then they have to climb up several flights of stairs to get home.

"Some people are handicapped and they have problems and stuff like that," complained Beatty.

By enforcing parking laws the borough will lose about fifty spaces.

"The businesses need parking spaces to allow people to go into their stores," said Barbara Linton of Bartonsville.

Borough Manager Barbara Quarantello said the problem isn't as bad as it sounds. Stroudsburg has plans to extend curbs so it will be safer to walk in the borough. The curbing would go over those illegal spots.

"We probably would have lost close to this many spots anyway based on the bump outs that are going to be downtown," said Quarantello.

Some pedestrians are happy about the enforcement. Chris Czyz said, "It's kinda hard to see when you're walking down the sidewalk and you want to cross the street at times. Your view is blocked from the way the traffic is parked.

Borough officials say to reduce confusion, crews will paint curbs yellow where you can't park. They will also remove parking meters from illegal spaces.