Wednesday, May 22, 2013

By Lauren Folino
Published: July 2, 2009

Finding a parking space at the Vineyard Haven post office can be a frustrating experience. It is made more difficult by drivers who abuse the posted 15-minute parking limit.

Tisbury postmaster Joe Massua understands the problem, and he is taking action.

Monday afternoon many drivers needed to make several loops around the Tisbury post office parking lot before a space opened up. Photo by Susan Safford

Mr. Massua said that the parking issue is no small problem, and it's not just a summer problem. "Every summer I tow, and sometimes I tow in the winter, too," he said this week.

The post office, a daily stop for many year-round and summer residents, offers a full service counter, and the lobby provides 3,500 post office boxes. The post office shares the parking lot and a building with the Cumberland Farms convenience store.

Despite time limit signs and towing warnings, not everyone takes the warning seriously.

Last Thursday, Mr. Massua walked out to the parking lot to place typewritten messages under the windshields of several vehicles. The notice repeated the standard warnings.

"It's a huge problem," Mr. Massua said of the scofflaws. Pointing to the lobby, he asked, "Did you see anyone in there?" Although the parking lot was nearly full, there were fewer then 10 people waiting for service at the counter or in the post office box lobby.

Despite the inconvenience and cost of more than $100 of towing and storage charges, Mr. Massua said that many drivers ignore these consequences of neglecting the parking lot's time limit. He also said it is difficult for post office staff to monitor all the vehicles in the lot, which is why many are able to get away with parking for hours at a time.

"I don't have time to hang out in the parking lot all day," Mr. Massua said. "I tow as often as I can. I towed three cars on Friday, and those were the first tows of the summer."

Mr. Massua said some year-round Islanders think they deserve preferential treatment. "The first thing I get is 'I live here'," he said.

Two spots adjacent to the post office side entrance are reserved for handicapped persons. Despite clearly visible signs, drivers without handicap placards regularly park in the reserved spots.

Mr. Massua said he has had new signs made to designate the spaces as handicap only.

On Monday, Dr. Robert Franklin of Tisbury pulled into one of the reserved spots, his placard clearly visible in the window. Dr. Franklin told The Times he has encountered problems when trying to park in one of the two assigned spaces. It is a huge inconvenience for handicapped individuals when able-bodied drivers occupy a handicap space, he explained. "Most of the time they are available," he said. "Occasionally, when it's busy, there is someone parked there who shouldn't be."

An elderly Tisbury woman, who asked not to be identified, parked in a handicap space Tuesday afternoon when the lot was full. She did not have a handicap permit.

"A lot of people do it who live here," she said. "I only started parking here in the last year or so because it's harder to get around, and I don't want to have to keep going around and around the lot looking for a space."

A Times reporter made numerous trips throughout last week to observe the parking lot. Each day, several cars remained in the lot for long periods, well in excess of the 15-minute limit. Last Tuesday, a white Chevy Silverado truck remained all day and was still in the lot the following morning.

Jessica Oliver is a year-round West Tisbury resident who maintains a post office box in Vineyard Haven. On Monday she stopped in the lobby to pick up her mail.

Ms. Oliver said she often has a hard time finding a parking space, but she tries to remain patient and endure the wait. "I go around three or four times if I have to, or go do something else and then come back and try again," she said.

Ms. Oliver said she finds it frustrating that some residents use the post office lot for their own personal parking. "Some people park here and then they walk over to Stop & Shop, or they go off and do other errands," she said. "I see that a lot."