What to do about visitor parking continues to be a major issue on Sullivan's Island. Posted below is a letter on that topic from islander Mike Walsh, including his observations and suggestions. Also attached are some interesting photos Mike took a few weeks ago during the Polar Bear Plunge, that perfectly illustrate his point. Here is Mike's letter:
As I was out shooing away a car that on New Year’s Day had parked partially obstructing my driveway to attend the Polar Bear Plunge…or maybe it was when I was treated to an “F*** bomb” by one of the car’s occupants…it suddenly struck me. Town Council is in the midst of considering this new parking plan for the Island filled with high-tech aspects like online applications and computer based enforcement by our police. But, what about the “old” parking regulations?
Don’t we already have laws and ordinances that say you can’t park on certain sides of the streets, or within a certain distance of an intersection or a fire hydrant? Isn’t there a requirement that parked cars have all four wheels off the pavement?
If that’s all true, why aren’t we starting with enforcement of the old rules before laying down the new rules? And it’s not just New Year’s. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or really any busy summer weekend. I’m sure one of the answers as to why we’re not is manpower.
On a day like New Year’s or St. Patrick’s I know our officers are busy keeping peace and order in the business district or on the beach. Still, even a superficial look at what happens with parking at these busy times would say that just an occasional pass through by an officer with a citation book in hand would yield enough in parking fines to make it well worthwhile, possibly to balance the Town’s annual budget!
Maybe there is a cadre of Island residents who would be willing to be deputized as a type of “meter maid”. Give them an official looking shirt, a parking enforcement sign to go on their car or golf cart, and a radio to call for back-up in case someone gets belligerent over being ticketed, booted or towed.
Lest you think this is a silly overstatement of the current situation, I took my camera out on New Year’s and made a dozen or so photos just within a couple of blocks of my house. They are included in this posting. The total disregard for our current parking regulations is obvious.
If visitors so completely ignore the current laws, why do we think they will pay any attention to new ones? As you think about the new parking system I urge you to at least consider this as a corollary to that discussion. Start enforcement now. Thanks.
Mike Walsh
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