The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has frustrated commuters for years with it’s ridiculous fares, limited trains and constant problems, especially during the rush hour ride home.
Though the MTA is making an effort to add more trains to the schedule, that doesn’t ease the parking situation, which is operated not by the LIRR, but by individual municipalities in each town.
“Every station is different,” said LIRR spokesman Salvatore Arena. “A good part of our parking is in the hands of the locality. They set the rules essentially.”
The LIRR has as many downsides as it does upsides, especially for overworked and overstressed commuters. Minimal parking, station construction and a lack of sympathy when it comes to doling out tickets is driving commuters crazy, especially those at the Bethpage station, who can’t seem to find refuge during the busy work days, or any other day for that matter.
“I get to Bethpage at 8 a.m. and parking is atrocious,” said Old Bethpage resident Joe Nappi, who hopes to be one of the lucky ones with a spot. “I’ve been a permit holder for four years. There is construction all over, but the parking situation has not been addressed. When are they going to do something about this?”
The main lot at the Bethpage station is always full, so much so that the library lot on Powell Avenue has become congested. Commuters who park in an undesignated spot will receive a ticket of $120. A parking permit in the commuter lot is $20 and valid for two years, but with so many residents being unable to find a spot, paying for a parking permit seems pointless.
At the Bethpage Train Station, there are only 980 total stalls–726 are permit parking, 153 are unrestricted and 30 are reserved for the handicapped, according to the Town of Oyster Bay public information office. While that may sound like a lot, it is nowhere near enough to guarantee a spot for every commuter, especially during normal working business hours.
“The other day I parked in a 2-hour parking spot because I figured, if I’m going to get a ticket I might as well not have to walk a mile,” said Nappi, who joked that it would be more cost effective for him to quit work instead of having to pay the outrageous ticket fee so often, something he feels he can’t control.
Equally frustrated commuter, Tabitha Ochtera of Bethpage has never had an issue with parking until she searched for spots at Bethpage.
“I used to commute out of Seaford and never had an issue. I had a Town of Hempstead parking permit and could always find a spot in the morning even if it was in a bigger lot a little further away from the train,” said Ochtera, who now lives within a mile of the Bethpage train station and has had a problem every single day she commutes.
Ochtera’s parking permit expired earlier this year and she has chosen not to buy another, not due to price, but because she said it is pointless to do so.
“I can never find a spot in the permit lots, so I have taken to leaving early to find a spot in the free lots, which isn’t guaranteed either,” she said.
On a recent rainy day, Ochtera arrived at the station 40 minutes early in the hopes of securing a spot. She ended up parking in one of the 2-hour spots and didn’t get a ticket, but did receive a warning.
“What’s even more frustrating than the lack of parking is that permit holders will park in the free parking lots,” said Ochtera of the unfair, rude and unfortunately uncontrollable situation. “I have even heard from other Bethpage commuters that people will travel from Farmingdale or Hicksville to park in Bethpage because that’s the best lot out of all three stations.”
The Town of Oyster Bay oversees parking lots at the Bethpage, Massapequa, Hicksville, Syosset, Glen Head, Oyster Bay and Locust Valley train stations. In those stations combined, there are less than 10,000 town permit parking spots available—however, the town said it currently has 27,604 active permits issued.
According to the public information office, the town issues more parking permits than there are spaces because “many town residents only use parking periodically.” They also said residents can use their town parking permit at other stations within the Town.
In a statement, the Town of Oyster Bay said, “the Town of Oyster Bay is consistently working with its residents to meet the demands for railroad station parking, especially at its most utilized lots. This process is a delicate balance between an increasing ridership and a limited amount of parking. The Town is also working with the MTA, which ultimately is the beneficiary of increased ridership, to address the concerns commuters have expressed with respect to limited parking and increased demand for spots.”
While parking around LIRR train stations is typically a challenge, even on a regular work day, the holidays create more of a struggle for commuters in search of parking spots. Arena said that ridership between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day increases by at least 10 percent; last year it was by 12 percent.
MTA officials say the increased ridership is typically during its off-peak period, like weekends and evenings. Passengers who plan to leave for the city before daily commuters can get back to their cars will face a parking shortage.
While Nappi and Ochtera use the LIRR for work, non-commuters traveling into the city during the holidays tend to get to the station between 3 to 5 p.m., just enough time to steal any open spots from commuters who have left early for the day, preventing those who’s jobs require them to take later afternoon or night trains from getting a spot at that time.
“People should know that if they are planning to go into the city, parking [around the station] can be a little bit of a problem,” said Arena. “Parking availability becomes more difficult during the holiday season simply because of the volume.”
Even so, Arena said people should not be deterred from taking mass transit.
“It’s better to go into the city by train rather than by car,” Arena said. “Even after the morning rush, you tend to have a simpler day if you use mass transit.”
For parking tips and a round-up of the worst LIRR parking situations, turn to page 10A.
—With Additional Reporting By Dan Offner
