New configuration, regulations start April 22
On Monday, April 22, the Village of Westbury will close the parking lot it owns north of the train station, with its nearly 300 spaces. It will enable the MTA to begin construction of a 676-space, multi-story garage that will double the parking capacity. Construction is expected to last through the first quarter of 2021 and is part of the Third Track expansion from Floral Park to Hicksville.
Village residents with parking permits will be able to park in the MTA-owned south lot, which has about the same number of spaces. Non-residents with permits can use on-street metered spaces along Scally Place, Railroad Avenue and Linden Avenue. They won’t have to put coins in the meters.
Non-residents who previously utilized the south lot will be directed to free parking at The Source Mall with free shuttle service to the Westbury station. This is being provided by 3TC, the contractor for the Third Track Project.
Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro again emphasized that initially, there would be some confusion with the parking situation, stating, “The MTA police will be on duty the first couple of weeks and we will be doing enforcement to make sure everybody’s parking where they’re supposed to be parking. Whenever you change something like that, trying to change old habits, there will be a period of adjustment, but we’ll manage.”
In a Facebook post, Cavallaro said the village “will take a number of temporary measures to protect our adjacent neighborhoods, particularly by enacting parking restrictions to prevent commuter parking in these areas. Areas affected will be Breezy Hill, Butler Street and the area nearest the Carle Place station (Earl, Ward and Concord Streets). We have had resident engagement to ascertain what acceptable restrictions might be tried to tailor the restrictions as narrowly as possible to least affect area residents. Some inconvenience is unavoidable, but we tried to limit the restrictions as best we can.”
He continued, “The new proposed restrictions are mainly comprised of a one-hour block out on either side of the street each weekday. There are no restrictions at night or on weekends. At all other times, the street is open and available to park on. The village will implement practices that ensure that necessary enforcement is applied. There is no easy solution or magic bullet to this situation. In the end, the Third Track Project will be a tremendous benefit to all of the region, in terms of better rail service, more abundant commuter parking and other infrastructure upgrades that are being undertaken.”
Cavallaro concluded, “The board does not take lightly these necessary actions, and we believe that these steps will best protect our residents from undue parking problems during construction.”
The Details
Beginning Monday, April 22, the Westbury south parking lot will be open to all Village of Westbury permitted parkers. Additionally, alternative parking will be available at the site of the former Source Mall, located on Old Country Road. The alternative parking lot has approximately 300 spaces and will come with a free shuttle service that is planned to operate at regular intervals to transport customers to/from the station and parking lot.
Shuttle service hours of operation/intervals:
• Weekdays (including all federally recognized holidays), from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• 20-minute intervals during peak periods (5 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 9:30 p.m.)
• 30-minute intervals during off-peak periods
Shuttle pick-up/drop-off locations:
• Alternative parking lot: Northwest side of the lot
• Westbury Station: North side of the station, east of the taxi service on Union Avenue
Parking in the south lot will be permitted as follows:
• Weekdays: 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Village of Westbury resident permit holders only
• Weekdays: 6 p.m. to midnight: Parking is open, free and unrestricted
• Weekends/federally recognized holidays: 5 a.m. to midnight: Parking is open, free and unrestricted
• No overnight parking permitted, weekdays and weekends
In a statement, the project’s Community Outreach Team wrote, “While we recognize that this work may be disruptive to your commute, your Community Ambassador team is available for you. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us at CommunityOutreach@LIRRExpansion.com or call our 24/7 hotline at 516-203-4955.”
Find out more at www.amodernli.com.
